Nothing More
by lunarshores
Summary: Ace is just about to design the next big thing in tech when his company is sold out from underneath him to Whitebeard Inc., which desperately needs to show their board a miracle. Can Ace and his new boss, Marco, manage to work together and save everything?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my entry for opbigbang, hosted by the wonderful imperialmint. Thanks to her for hosting this event and kicking my ass to get me to write this story xD I'd also like to thank my partner jocos-ity, for making such wonderful art and for being such a lovely, lovely partner and putting up with me and my procrastinating ways. This story would not be what it is without her, and you should check out all her amazing stuff, including the cover image) over on tumblr ( .com****/post/116112838793/my-submission-to-the-opbigbang2015-one-of-them****). The cover is by her and is posted with permission. Finally, I'd like to thank phoenix0725 for betaing last minute for me when my beta got lost in the wilds of France.**

**Warnings: explicit sex in an office and surgery/hospitalization of a secondary character.**

Ace's fist slammed into the punching bag, the sound causing other gym patrons to look at him curiously, but he ignored them as he continued his relentless blows. There were only two hours left and he still hadn't decided. He couldn't believe those backstabbing, brown-nosing, baboons could do this to him. Part of him knew that it made sense to them financially, but he'd thought his investors were better than money grubbing worms. How naive he'd been.

The punching bag came hurtling back at him, and Ace dodged it expertly before spinning into a roundhouse kick, the force as his foot connected causing the chain holding it up to strain. He knew he was being foolish- he had no choice but to accept the offer- but he couldn't help it. His dream of starting up and running his own company, of designing what he wished, of freedom was gone, disintegrated into microscopic pieces.

He was going to have a _boss. _

The furious blows stopped, and Ace slumped for a moment, staring at the gym mat as the punching bag swung back and forth, the motion lessening until it came to a stop. Ace glanced up at the clock and grimaced, but he headed for the showers, ignoring the crowd of onlookers that had grown during his workout.

* * *

After showering and changing into comfortable clothes, Ace drove to Whitebeard's headquarters, trying to convince himself that he was going to turn down their offer to buy his company. He'd heard a rumor they were doing poorly anyway, and they hadn't had any really impressive new products in quite some time. That was probably why they wanted him in the first place. None of them could come up with anything on their own, so they had to force start ups into selling to them to keep going.

Ace parked and trudged into the enormous building, glaring at the cheerful-looking whale logo. He walked up to the reception desk and gave his name to the receptionist, trying not to be impressed by the enormous lobby and the excessive amounts of steel and glass. To his disappointment, not only did the receptionist not even blink at his slightly ratty jeans and open button down shirt, but he was dressed only slightly more professionally.

"Mr. Portgas? Mr. Phoenix is expecting you in the main conference room." He handed Ace a visitor's badge with his name on it. "Here's your pass, just go up in the elevator, you can't miss it."

"Thanks!" Ace said, smiling nicely. It wasn't his fault, after all, and he was going to maybe end up seeing him everyday he went to work for years. Ace repressed a shudder and made his way to the elevators. The doors had slid shut behind him before he realized he had no clue which floor to go to. There was no handy plaque giving directions either. Ace sighed before noticing a card reader. On whim he tapped his visitor pass to it, and the elevator starting rising, the fourth floor button illuminated like he's chosen it.

He tried really hard to keep from being impressed, but it was pretty cool if that was actually the correct floor. The elevator slid to a halt, and Ace stepped out cautiously. The conference room was walled in glass again, and it really would be impossible to miss. Despite himself, Ace was glad to see he was fifteen minutes early, and there was only one person in the room.

The man looked up from his laptop when Ace came in and smiled so warmly that Ace felt himself respond in kind, even though this must surely be one of the higher ups or at least a lawyer or secretary. The blond man rose and reached out a hand as Ace crossed the room. Ace took the offered hand, shaking it firmly.

"Hey, I'm Marco. I look forward to working with you." Despite the reminder of what he was about to do Ace couldn't help but return Marco's warm smile. If they'd be working together, at least Marco probably wasn't one of the people that lost him his company. Or well, made his investors force him to sell or go under.

"You're early. The lawyers will be here in a bit, but take a seat while you wait." Ace realized he still clasped Marco's hand and let go hastily, deciding to take a seat one over from where Marco sat at the round table. He fought down a blush when Marco quirked a brow at his choice, but turned to investigate the room. It was so... staid.

Apart from the non-traditional choice of a round table, it was no different than any other company board room, and Ace shoved down his disappointment. He might not have wanted to work there, but if he was going to be working for a big tech company, there ought to at least be bean bags in the conference room. He turned back to Marco, who'd shut his laptop, and was watching him with amusement.

"There's another one with the bean bags. The stuffed suits complain that it is beneath their dignity though, so we meet up here when the fussier lawyers are needed." Ace blinked, and Marco laughed. "No, I don't read minds: we just get that question a lot."

"That'd be a bit more believable if you didn't just answer the next question I had, Marco," Ace said, glaring at Marco in faux suspicion. It was hard to maintain his serious expression, when Marco looked so taken aback, and Ace chuckled. Marco's eyes widened, and then he grinned. He was just about to speak when the door opened, and a large man in a suit entered.

"Mr. Portgas, Mr. Phoenix, you're both here already. Excellent," he said, and Ace froze in his seat.

"Hey, Visita," Marco said casually, "I told you to stop calling me that. It's weird."

"You're the boss now Marco, it's important to show respect." Marco sighed, slumping back in his chair, and rolled his eyes. Ace sat perfectly straight, ignoring the glance Mar- Mr. Phoenix sent him and turning his attention to the papers given to him by Visita. He nodded politely as Visita began going through all of the documents, reading through everything thoroughly, but none of it seemed different what Sabo told him to expect, until he got to the last section.

The price for the company, which was just the patents Ace had gotten so far, and his notes and ideas, was what everyone had agreed upon, and while the amount was still staggering to Ace, almost all of it would go to his heartless investors. The balance would go to paying off his debts. Ace skimmed that part but gaped at the amount for his yearly salary.

Maybe being stuck working here for three years wouldn't be so bad: he might even have enough to make his own way again, this time without the soulless slimebags. He read through his contract briefly, making sure to avoid Marco's gaze as Vista continued his rather droning explanation. The pen felt heavy in his hand when he picked it up to sign the contract that would steal away his dream.

* * *

Ace had made his escape as quickly as was polite, glad it was Friday and he had some time to sulk before he started, and went to pick up Luffy from his work in relief. At least he'd be able to pick up Luffy relatively easily now that they worked so close together; it would really help out Sabo since Ace's hours would be more flexible, and Sanji and Nami never appreciated it when Luffy hung out too long after work.

Luffy's excited chatter about his day at the pub where he waited tables (and ate all of the food if you listened to his coworkers) cheered Ace up instantly, and even with the rush hour traffic, they had a great time singing along with the radio with complete disregard for the words or melody. By the time they got home, Sabo had already started dinner, and roasting chicken permeated the house with it's heavenly aroma.

"Welcome back! Dinner will be done in ten minutes or so, so stay out of the kitchen until then! Ace could you set the table?" Sabo had really gone all out with dinner tonight, and Ace clapped him on the shoulder in thanks before getting out the plates and silverware. Dinner was ready right when Sabo said it would be, and all three gathered around their tiny table that was practically groaning from the sheer amount of food.

Ace noticed right away that all of his favorites were on the table, even mountains of mashed potatoes, something Sabo always refused to make because they were "too much work", but he didn't have time to comment as the fell on the food ravenously. When every plate was all but licked clean, Ace began on the dishes, unsurprised when instead of turning on the television, both of his brothers followed him into the miniscule kitchen.

"You guys are just in the way. There's no room for you," Ace said as he ran the water and got out the drying rack. They laughed and swung up to sit on the counter, taking up all of the room remaining.

Luffy grinned. "You'd be lonely without us, admit it!"

"I don't need you jerks to hover over me while I wash the ridiculous amount of dishes. Go watch tv or something."

"Nope, we're happy here, right Luffy?" Sabo expertly caught the dishrag Ace threw at him and tossed it back into the sink, splashing Ace. They both laughed when he glowered at them, and Ace sighed.

"Fine. I signed it over. I start work there Monday." Silence fell as both of them turned serious, and Ace scrubbed at little harder than necessary.

"I'm sorry, Ace," Sabo said, and Luffy nodded, pulling his hat over his eyes.

"It's okay. It had to be done, and who knows?" Ace chuckled weakly. "Maybe it will turn out to be for the best."

He felt their gazes boring into him, trying to see if he was really okay with it all. Ace turned to them and gave a small smile.

"At the very least, at the rate they're paying me, we ought to be able to finish off our student loans, and maybe even pay off the house," Ace said, and immediately wished to take it back.

"Ace, I swear if you did this for the money-" Sabo stopped when Ace held up a hand.

"I did this because it was the only way I could keep working on my project. It might not be completely mine anymore, but at least it isn't scrapped completely. This is just... a detour."

Both of them stared at him stonily until Ace had finished the dishes.

"C'mon guys, let's watch a movie or something. It's Friday night, and there's plenty of time until Monday to worry," Ace said and smiled. Luffy tilted his head, pouting at Ace's false smile to let Ace know he say right through him, and the look Sabo gave him wasn't much better. Eventually Luffy sighed quietly then brightened, dragging them both off without a word.

* * *

Marco checked the clock once again. It was finally half past one, so he closed the figures he'd been looking through with the first smile he'd worn all day. He'd wanted to allow Ace a little time to get settled before he went to discuss the details of his project and the expo, but he'd had all morning and a bit of time after lunch, so by now he'd surely be ready to get down to business.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Ace's project really needed to be what he'd hoped it would be when he offered to buy the company. Marco shook his head as he tidied up the papers on the desk; he'd read through the documents the investor of Ace's company had given him. The only thing they had to worry about was getting it done in time.

The office was spotless when Marco finally got up to head over to Ace's new office. It was a couple floors lower than Marco's, and Marco took the stairs without even thinking about it. He paused outside the open door, smiling at the laughter the emanated from the room. He'd been going to tell everyone to give Ace a warm welcome, and it seemed like he wouldn't need to.

Marco knocked politely on the door frame before entering the packed room. There was already a party going on in the office- the kind the Whitebeard's specialized in. The room was full of people, and random food was on every available surface. The were balloons everywhere, and it was hard to even see most of the people in the tiny room. Ace was laughing at his desk, obviously enjoying the party, and Marco smiled to see him already fitting in so well.

"Marco!" Thatch cheered, and everyone raised their glass. Marco raised a brow at them, but they just laughed, and he shook his head and chuckled, accepting the "punch" someone shoved in his hand. Who was he to stand in the way of tradition, after all?

The crowd managed to shuffle aside to let Marco through to the guest of honor. He stopped in front of the desk, looking down at Thatch, one brow raised in question.

"You know we have perfectly good conference rooms, and you're welcome to use them." Thatch laughed and threw an arm around Marco.

"But this is tradition Marco! You can't go against tradition, even for comfort and logic!" Marco shook his head but didn't comment, turning to Ace.

"I hope you're settling in?" Ace's expression had faltered, turning almost stony, and Marco smiled, hoping to let him know he wasn't in trouble. They had parties like this for far less meaningful reasons. The last Marco had stumbled in on (and that was how you had to find them, no one was allowed to invite anyone- they just started) had been for Thatch successfully jumping over 7 chairs in a row.

"Yes, I'm fine," Ace said, and Marco blinked at the terse tone.

"Well, if you want to stop by my office before you go home? It won't take long, I just want to make sure you have everything you need for your project."

"Fine." Marco glanced at Thatch to make sure he wasn't the only one, and Thatch gave him a measured nod. He'd get to the bottom of it. Marco smiled and excused himself, draining his punch, and making his way back to the door, a frown on his face as soon as he closed the door.

Ace had been perfectly friendly when they'd met yesterday. True, afterwards he'd been in a bit of a rush, but what had changed? They didn't have time to waste on petty problems.

* * *

Ace left the building with an air of relief. He'd made it a whole day without running into Marco. There were only two days left, and then it would be the weekend, and he'd be free of Marco for two whole days.

Part of him wondered if he was being immature: everyone sung Marco's praises, and he'd been nothing but kind- in person. Thatch and Izo seemed to all but worship him underneath their playful remarks, and he certainly liked them. If there was one thing that Ace was glad about in the whole losing his company thing, he really did enjoy having coworkers.

Both of them were in other departments, Thatch in the accounting, and Izo in graphic design. Ace knew they had to have other electrical engineers around- he'd met some even- but he didn't have a department. Marco had told him on his first day that he was to work on his project in his own way, and if he needed any expertise outside of his own, they'd be happy to assign him help.

Ace was confused by the whole thing. They wanted his tech- that's why forced the sale- so why all the freedom? It shocked him he was still even involved with his project if he was being honest. Every company wanted the next best processor, and Ace had no shame in saying his would be leagues faster than anything the competition had to offer.

Thatch had told him that it was their company's way when he'd voiced his confusion. Their company was a family, he'd said, and they believed in letting people live up to their own potential. People who had their own project kept them, and if they needed help anyone would chip in, though of course, some people were assigned to other projects. If they had an idea, they wrote up a proposal, and Marco would chose which got worked on and by whom.

It certainly didn't sound like a company that would force smaller companies to belong, but business was a cutthroat world as Sabo liked to remind him. Most from examples from his business law textbooks, but just because they were biased didn't mean they weren't true.

Marco might have everyone else fooled, but it wouldn't work on Ace. He was doing fine with Teach, Thatch, and Izo. He didn't need to be friendly with his boss, even if everyone else was. Teach was proving himself to be enormously helpful, and Ace was fairly sure he'd have a working prototype by next week.

He'd been almost there for quite some time now, but he'd lacked materials, and he couldn't afford to make more than one. With the ridiculously many resources of his new company- Thatch insisted family, but Ace would not be family with Marco of all people- there was nothing from stopping him from being done but the actual making of it.

He slammed the door of his car as he got in at the thought. He would have been months behind on his own, and he knew it, and it was not a welcome thought. Ace sighed and rested his head on the steering wheel. Teach had assured him that everything would be in by Thursday, and he'd have everything he'd need.

Ace laughed, the sound echoing emptily in the car. He needed to pick up Luffy and get himself out of this funk. He perked up a bit. Maybe Sanji would have something for him.

* * *

Marco waited in the booth Thatch had steered him to, not because he wanted to be here, but because Thatch could be persistent, and it was too much trouble to avoid him. Not to mention, Ace had warmed right up to Thatch, so at least he could get some news. Marco sank back into the worn faux leather of the booth. Thankfully, Thatch was already on his way back with the beers; it wasn't busy at all on a Wednesday night since everyone had work tomorrow.

It'd had been years since Marco had gotten drunk enough to be hungover, but the idea had its appeal since it meant he could avoid Ace tomorrow and just stay at home. He'd not taken a sick day since Pops had turned over the company to him, so they could make do without him for a day. But then he wouldn't get to see Ace.

Thatch flopped down across from him, almost sloshing the beer, and slide one over to him. Marco caught it deftly, but he didn't drink. Thatch raised a brow.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No," Marco said. "There's nothing to talk about." Thatch hummed and swallowed some of his own down.

"Really? You're not even going to bother with the whole nothing's-wrong facade?" Marco sighed.

"Either way, there's still nothing to say on the matter."

Thatch peered at him. "You really are bummed out the kid doesn't like you, huh?" Marco's fingers tightened on the glass, but he didn't answer. They let the silence stretch uncomfortably- something that hadn't happened between them in years. Finally, Thatch spoke.

"You know, he didn't want to sell. He wanted to keep his creative freedom." Marco raised his gaze from the condensation forming on the side of his glass.

"Then why-"

"The investors threatened to pull everything. Ace wanted to finish his project, and the only way he could do that was by accepting the offer, even if it wouldn't be on his own terms anymore. Your offer, and now, it's your terms. It's no wonder he's a bit unhappy with you."

Marco stared. Ace thought he was the reason he'd lost his company? He exhaled slowly, then finally took a drink.

"No wonder he hates my guts."

"I think he'll warm up again." Thatch paused, raising his glass to his mouth to empty his beer. "Eventually." He just laughed at Marco's irritated gaze.

Thatch signaled the bartender for another round. "Why does it matter, anyway? It's not like you'll even work with the kid that often. You don't have to ever, if you don't want to."

"I... There's no particular reason. I just don't like being loathed by one of the employees. And Pops and I think he's promising enough that he will be working with me soon."

"So, it is because you _like_ him," Thatch said, just as Marco had taken a drink, and he almost spit out the beer. As it was far more of it went up his nose that he'd have liked. "Izo and I thought so."

Before Marco could do more that stutter Thatch continued musingly. "You know, he stares at you a lot. He must have thought no one was looking. Like he's trying to figure out a puzzle or something." Thatch shook his head. "I wouldn't worry if I were you. The kid will come around eventually. Now, will you stop moping, so we can have some fun now?"

"Thatch, it is Wednesday night. Why are we even here?"

A shout rang across the busy pub, and they both turned to look at what caused the ruckus. Marco had to work to keep his jaw from dropping when he saw a young man throw himself at none other than Ace. He glared at Thatch, but Thatch looked just as baffled as he felt.

Marco couldn't hear them from across the way, but he could tell the young man was babbling as he clung to Ace, and Ace looked to be more relaxed and happy than Marco had ever seen him. Before Marco could make sense of the scene, Thatch was already shouting over to them.

"Ace! What's up, man?" Ace turned around, eyes still bright as he turned to Thatch, and Marco felt something in him clench when the light in Ace's eyes died when he caught sight of whom Thatch was with. The man said something, and Ace barely had time to respond before the young man was dragging them over, ignoring Ace's heels which were obviously digging into the ground.

"Hi, I'm Luffy!" The grin was the most impressive Marco had ever seen, splitting his face nearly in two.

"Luffy?" Thatch asked. "Ace has told me a lot about you!" Marco took a sip of his beer, wanting to drown the sinking feeling in his stomach.

Luffy laughed and shoved Ace so he ended up sitting on the booth next to Marco, and dashed off to the bar, muttering something about food. Marco wasn't quite sure how this had happened, and could take solace only in the fact that Ace looked almost equally like he'd been spun around like a tornado.

Thatch seemed to take everything in stride somehow. "So this is where your brother works? We've been coming here for years! Who knew?"

"Yeah," Ace said, scowling as he settled back into the booth, close enough that Marco could feel the heat coming off him. Marco looked back and forth between them, trying to catch up. The scowl faded from Ace's face he watched Luffy at the bar, bouncing around as he talked with a blond man.

Finally the man shooed him back to the table, and Luffy all but flung himself next to Thatch. Marco expected him to start chattering immediately, but he kept silent as he passed Ace a beer, staring at Marco intently. Ace frowned down at the beer.

"Luffy, I can't drink this, we're going home remember?" Ace passed it to Thatch, who took it without question.

"We have to have dinner first." Luffy nodded and smiled at Marco, before finally shifting his gaze to Ace. Marco was a bit unnerved at the whole encounter. "Sabo's got a date tonight. If we go home, it's instant noodles." Ace blanched, and Marco and Thatch shared an amused glance.

"You're right. We should definitely stay here. Is Sanji going to take pity on us?"

"Yeah, I convinced him." Luffy laughed and then turned to Marco. "Pineapple man, are you going to eat with us?" Ace and Thatch snickered, but Marco saw Ace give Luffy a thoughtful look. The whole interaction seemed a bit weird, but Marco was glad to have Ace talking to him (well, near him) without the wooden tone he'd come to adopt whenever he was forced to interact with Marco.

Marco traded a glance with Thatch. "Sure, I guess."

* * *

Ace glared at the sun, which was just know bothering to rise as he made his way from his car to the company, blinking at the weak light. He'd been working long, rather irregular hours to finish the processor, and when he'd finally finished it last night, he'd been far too excited to sleep. Unfortunately for him, Marco was still there and sent him home, but he'd been too keyed up to sleep. So here he was, swiping in at some godforsaken hour.

Marco had been perfectly polite at the dinner a week ago, and Ace could tell he'd been trying to make it as painless as possible. He obviously knew that Ace was less than pleased with him (how could he not?), but instead of confronting him, he just tried to give Ace his space. Ace scowled at his reflection in the elevators as he waited to go up.

Luffy, the traitor, had taken to Marco, and Ace did have to admit it was funny watching Luffy with him and Thatch, but still. Luffy knew what Marco had done! They'd eaten well, thanks to Sanji, and Thatch and Marco had barely raised a brow at the amount of food they'd eaten.

Ace had barely seen Marco since then, really only when Thatch or Teach or someone called him in to kick Ace out when he was on a roll, and he was glad for it. It was admittedly a bit easier to keep up his dislike when Marco wasn't actually around. The elevator came, and Ace stepped on, stumbling a bit on the threshold.

The elevator slid to a stop on his floor, and Ace carefully made his way to his office. Maybe he should take a nap before driving home. He unlocked his door and picked his way through the typical mess to his desk, freezing at the sight of his open drawers. He knew they'd been closed when he'd left. He always made sure everything was locked up tight. Well, everything important, he thought, looking at the state of the room.

HIs phone was in his hand before he'd consciously thought of it, and he thoroughly combed his desk as it rang.

" 'ello?" A pang of guilt rushed through Ace at the sleep laden voice. "Ace, do you know what time it is? Go to sleep, for god's sake."

"Marco, it's gone. Someone must have stolen it."

There was a brief pause. "You're sure? No, of course you are." All traces of sleep were gone now. "I'll be there in twenty minutes. Call the police and sit tight. Don't contact anyone else."

* * *

It had been two hours since Marco had gotten there, and people were starting to trickle into work. They'd been asked to move to Marco's office by the police, and Ace was zonked out on the couch and had been almost as soon as he'd sat down. Marco smiled at the sight and tossed a blanket over him. Ace stirred a bit, pulling the blanket closer and smiling. He'd been killing himself to finish all week, and now this.

Marco fell into the nearby armchair, police figured it had to be an inside job, since the building security was the best possible, and nothing had been breached. After hours access to the building was allowed to everyone, but there was a record, and no one but Marco, Ace, and Teach, who helped Ace clean up last night, were there after hours. Teach had left before them, and Marco knew it wasn't Ace.

They were a family here, and the thought of one of their own stealing from them was unthinkable. Marco's fingers tapped on the armrest, and he stared at nothing in particular. Still, no one outside of Ace's investors, who had little to gain anymore, and members of Whitebeard had any idea the chip was in existence.

Whoever it was, they were thorough, taking Ace's files, laptop, backups, and the chip itself. There was no way to recreate what Ace had in such a short period of time, and they had nothing for the expo in four weeks. They'd been cutting it closely enough before, but now they had nothing at all.

The board would have an emergency meeting tomorrow, and he would have to nothing to tell them. They'd been pushing and pushing, and now they'd get what they wanted because he had nothing to show them. Marco rubbed his hands over his face, and Ace shifted.

And Ace. He'd hated Marco before for stealing his freedom, but now he'd stolen what remained of his dream, if Thatch knew anything, and Marco knew just how good he was at getting people to talk. Marco jolted when the door opened, sitting up to greet Teach softly, nodding to Ace in explanation.

"Shame what happened last night." Teach laughed, and Marco frowned.

"Do you have news from the police?" Teach shook his head.

"No, though I know they've cleared just about everyone. I'm just here to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?"

"Yeah, now that my month's notice is done, I figured I might as well go. There's nothing for me to do today, and my new job starts tomorrow." He laughed again, the sound grating on Marco's nerves, and Ace tossed in his sleep.

"I don't remember you turning in a letter of resignation. Or any mention of a new job." Marco's eyes narrowed.

"I turned it into you personally. Don't you remember?" His smile oozed innocence, and Marco was suddenly sure who was to blame for this whole thing.

"No, I don't. You want to explain that?" Ace shifted again at Marco's tone, but Marco kept his eyes on Teach.

"I don't know, boss. I'm sure you'll find everything in order." His grin never faltered.

"I'm sure I will," Marco said slowly, "but does that mean it is?"

"It's fine from where I am." Teach's grin grew, and he turned around to head to the door, looking back before he left. "Best of luck for the expo. It seems you'll need it."


	2. Chapter 2

Ace woke up gradually, feeling too content to move. He'd been woken by soft voices, and he knew he should get up, but he was far too comfortable to actually open his eyes. The voices sounded urgent enough that he really couldn't go back to sleep, though, so he focused. Maybe he would have to get up.

"His alibi is airtight, the police said, and everything's perfectly in order with the resignation. It looks exactly like you signed off on it yourself on everything human resources has. Not only that, but there is a clear record of him leaving before Ace locked up and left, and his card and keys were conveniently still locked in Ace's office." Vista sighed, and Ace heard rustling like he slouched in his chair. He was still in Marco's office.

Ace heard a slow exhale. "He's planned this well. Has anyone found out to whom he's sold Ace's tech?" That was definitely Marco. They must be talking about whoever stole his work. Ace's eyes reluctantly opened, but he was completely under some sort of blanket and couldn't see anything.

"He's gone to work for Shichibukai," Izo said, disgust dripping for each word. "But we have more pressing problems. What about the expo? Is the board going to force your hand? Surely, they'll see-"

"They won't," Marco said. "They laid down the conditions. Either we make the biggest splash at the expo, or I have to lay off 100 people." The bitterness in Marco's tone shocked Ace. "They've no confidence in me. It's been a year since I took over, and they have no confidence in me. If it were Pops, they'd have nothing to say, but with our competition coming out with new things, if I don't show them up, that's it." SIlence fell over the group, and Ace's eyes widened under the blanket.

"Pops would never have let things get to this. I've failed to protect his family. I don't-" A loud bang, like someone hitting the table, interrupted.

"You stop that right now, Marco. You'll fix this, and you'll do it splendidly. Pops left you in charge when he retired for a reason." Ace had never heard Izo sound so threatening. There were at least five people in the room besides Marco and Izo, from what he could make out from the murmurs of agreement.

"You've got this Marco," Thatch said, and Marco let out a breath.

"Okay, so we have four weeks. We need something special ready for the public, and we can be almost certain Ace's processor will be at the expo on the other side, so we have to be able to beat that." Silence fell as they considered that, and Ace smirked despite himself. He really ought to let them know he was awake now that it was a bit less personal, but he couldn't bring himself to.

"So brainstorm tonight, let everyone know, and we'll have a meeting at noon tomorrow to present ideas. We need something to show the board by Friday, so we only have a day and a half to get it ready for them." He paused, and Ace found himself wishing he could see what was going on.

"Good luck, I guess." There was a flurry of activity as everyone gathered up their things, talking as they filed out, and Ace stirred, figuring that noise would have woken him up if he had been asleep. He sat up just as they were all leaving. At least half of the company department heads had been there.

Thatch waved to him, and Izo gave him a tired smile, but they didn't pause to say anything, in too much of a rush to figure out how to save the company, he supposed. Or at least the employees.

Marco was still at the round table on the other side of the room, staring blankly out the window, and Ace swung off the couch, making his way toward him. He glanced at the clock, eyes widening when he saw he'd been asleep more than four hours.

He sat down next to Marco, startling him enough to make him jump, and Ace frowned. Marco smiled at him, weariness etched in his face. "Sleep well?"

"I'm sorry. I should have been helping you." Marco waved that off.

"Don't be ridiculous. Don't you think I don't know how hard you worked to get that ready for testing? You needed the rest."

"That's no excuse. What's next? Did they find out who did it?" The exhaustion on Marco's face deepened, and Ace found himself wishing he could take the question back.

"It seems to have been Teach, but he's covered his tracks so well, there's no way to prove it." Ace froze.

"Teach? But he-" Ace stopped, thinking back on how helpful he'd been over the past two weeks. "That bastard." Marco smiled ruefully at him.

"I guess we know why he was so eager to volunteer to help you out. He's talented enough to be working on his own projects, so I thought it was strange, but he was experienced, so I thought with you being so young..." Marco sighed and ran a hand through his hair, which from the look of it, was still mussed from when Ace had gotten him out of bed this morning.

Ace reached out and laid his hand on Marco's arm. "Hey, this isn't your fault. You couldn't have known. He's worked here for a long time, right?" Marco nodded, the shadow in his eyes deepening, and Ace tightened his grip reassuringly, smiling ruefully. "You really care about them, huh?"

"This is my family. Everyone here is, and they all look to me to fix this." Marco shook himself, and Ace was almost sad to see his usual blank expression. "We have a planning meeting tomorrow at noon. You should go home, rest. If you have any ideas, we need anything we can get right now, and it will be all hands on deck for whatever we pick." Ace nodded and stood up, heading for the door.

"Oh, and Ace? I had no clue you were forced to sell, not that it matters. I'm sorry about what happened, especially since you lost everything. I try to do my best to make sure you can be happy here, and look what happens." Ace froze, not sure what to say; the bitterness in Marco's voice required something, but Ace wasn't sure he was ready to give it.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Marco said softly, and Ace resumed his path to the door. He closed it behind him and leaned back on it, slowly letting out a breath.

It was probably good he'd gotten that nap. Tonight might be a long night.

* * *

After Ace had left, Marco levered himself up. He needed to go see Pops. He knew Pops wouldn't step in and save him, that wasn't his way, but even if he wouldn't directly help, Marco knew just talking to him would help him sort out the mess in his head. He needed to be clear tomorrow, needed to be sharp. For that he had to sort out the whirlwind in his head and calm down enough to figure out a plan.

Someone also had to tell Pops of Teach's betrayal, though Marco was not looking forward to that at all. Pops had hired Teach himself, years ago, and he wouldn't take the betrayal of one of his sons well. Marco grabbed his keys and looked around before remembering he'd not remembered to grab his briefcase when Ace had called.

The drive to Pops's house didn't take nearly long enough for Marco. He let himself into the modest house, heading straight to the living room. Pops was on the couch, papers spread around him, ignoring the football game on in the background.

"Marco! This is a pleasant surprise." His eyes flicked over Marco. "Come tell me what's wrong, son." He shoved the papers all together and laid the disorganized heap on the coffee table. He patted the cleared couch invitingly, and Marco collapsed on it, tucking his legs up under him like a child.

"Teach stole Ace's work. All of it. He left for Schchibukai with it, and the expo is in four weeks." Marco's voice was flat, and Pops frowned, a shadow flitting over his face. Silence fell over the room as Marco let Pops process the events.

"So you're worried the boy won't ever like you?" Marco sputtered as Pops continued on in a knowing voice. "He's Garp's boy, you know. He might be stubborn, but he won't hold a grudge over something like this."

"That's not the-"

"Probably, he's already warmed up to you since it happened. He's always seemed like the kind to go all noble when someone's in trouble."

Marco's arm tingled where Ace's hand had rested. "Well, maybe, but that's not the-"

"Well, it's the only point worth discussing, don't you think?" Pops laughed. "You'll figure something out for the expo, I know it. There's nothing to worry about there. It's been awhile since I've seen you this interested in someone," Pops slyly as Marco continued to gap. "Clearly, that's the point."

"Pop's he's-"

"An adult, capable of making his choices. We'll just have to see what they are." Pops glanced up like he was remembering something. "I should call Garp. It's been awhile, and maybe he knows something about it."

"You are not going to call your old rival to gossip about my non-existent relationship with his grandson, whom I do not even like like that" Marco said firmly, not at all appeased when Pops just laughed and opened up the armrest of the couch. Marco blinked as Pops pulled too beers out of what looked to be a cooler built into the arm of the couch.

"Fine, we won't talk about it anymore." He opened the two beers, passing one to Marco.

"Pops, it is barely past noon." Whitebeard hummed in thought.

"You're right. Marco, order pizzas. We need lunch while we watch the game." Marco raised the beer bottle pointedly. "It's not everyday I get to see you in the middle of the afternoon."

"You already had them chilling _in the couch_!"

"It never hurts to be prepared, Marco. I'm sure I've taught you that." Marco laughed and pulled out his phone.

"Fine, one large with everything?"

* * *

Sabo and Luffy were both home when Ace stormed in the house. He didn't greet them in favor of beginning to frantically pace the living room, ignoring them as the sat on the couch. He stopped in the middle of the room suddenly, glaring at them.

"Shouldn't you people be at work or school or something?" he asked.

"Of all of us here, you're the only one supposed to be anywhere." Sabo raised a brow at him and closed the law book he'd been reading and nudged Luffy into pausing his game. "Right, Lu?"

Luffy nodded and tilted his head. "You okay, Ace?"

Ace collapsed between them on the couch. "I'm not really sure." He sighed and related the events of the morning. They listened in silence, and Sabo snorted when he was finished.

"You just fell asleep and left your boss to deal with everything? How useless."

"That's what you got out of this?!" Sabo and Luffy nodded, trying hard to keep serious faces, while Ace glared. All three broke into laughter, leaning against each other. When they managed to control themselves, Sabo cleared his throat.

"So, what are you going to do? You've got four weeks, and it's not like you don't have an idea. Will you keep it from them? For petty revenge?" Ace rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at Sabo, who caught it and held it up warningly.

"Thanks for being so supportive and unbiased, Sabo."

"No, problem." He grinned at Ace unrepentantly, the cheeky bastard.

Luffy frowned. "You won't keep it from them, will you? You like Pineapple Man and Thatch."

"I do not like Pineapple Ma-, I mean Marco!" Ace felt heat rush to his face and cursed to himself when he saw Sabo's gaze lock on it. "Just because he's maybe not as bad as I thought..." Ace shook his head. "Well, anyway, it wouldn't be for them, but to show up Teach. That bastard doesn't deserve to get any glory for this."

"Oh, really? So why are you blushing about this Marco?" He leaned over Ace to see Luffy better. "What do you think, Lu? You saw them together, right? Does Ace _like _him?" Luffy laughed at Sabo's emphasis.

"Well, he does seem to stare at him a lot. And he sat next to him at dinner."

"That's because you shoved me there, you idiot!" Ace got up off the couch, dodging Luffy's limbs as he tried to pull him back down. "I don't have time for this. I have to sort everything out to present tomorrow. It's not ready to show anyone but idiots like you."

A pillow smacked Ace in the back of the head.

He spun around and grabbed the pillow off the ground. "Alright. Who wants to die first?" Sabo and Luffy traded looks then both grabbed pillows, getting up to stand in a battle stance. There'd be time enough for the presentation after he'd defended his honor.

* * *

It was forty minutes until noon when Ace sent Marco the presentation, and Sabo burst into the kitchen, which had been overrun by Ace's notes, making Ace jump. He looked over the room carefully, before turning his gaze to Ace.

"You need to shower. And change. Those are yesterday's clothes." Ace blinked trying to process the words, relief for sending it in time the only thing his mind was capable of at the moment. "Go!" Sabo's snap had Ace up, at least, and he shuffled his way to the kitchen door. Sabo sighed and muttered something Ace was sure was no good, shoved him down the hall into the bathroom. He turned on the shower and glared at Ace.

"You have five minutes. Be clean and dry. I'll toss in clothes. We're leaving in ten minutes."

"What?"

"You really think I'm going to let you drive like this?" He gestured to Ace, who was fighting to escape his shirt. Ace nodded slowly, and Sabo left, hopefully to make coffee.

* * *

Sabo had indeed made coffee, and by the time he'd dropped Ace off, Ace was halfway towards cognizant, which was good because Marco had responded to his email that no one else had any ideas so far, so it would be just him presenting to Marco and all the department heads.

Ace reflected, as he rode up the elevator to Marco's office, that not having to present to anyone but himself and occasionally his brothers was definitely a perk of being the only employee in his own company. He knew his idea was good- he'd been planning on starting off his entire company with it, after all- but it was one thing to know that and one thing to present it to some of the most experienced people in the tech business.

He leaned on the doors of the elevator as it made it's climb. He was too tired for nerves anyway. Those were for awake people. He took a gulp of his coffee and barely remembered to stop leaning on the door before they opened and dumped him on the ground. It was probably for the best that Sabo hadn't let him drive, though he would be stuck here forever since Sabo had an exam tonight, and Luffy was not allowed to drive.

There were two minutes until noon when Ace entered Marco's office. Not everyone was there yet, much to Ace's relief, but all eyes turned to him as he entered. Marco frowned and started over towards him as soon as they made eye contact, and Ace blinked, a bit shocked at the unusual reception.

"Did you not sleep _again?_" Marco whispered when he got in range, and Ace frowned, confused by the question.

"I slept! You saw me sleep." Ace pointed to the couch, wondering why Thatch and Izo were snickering so hard. Marco spared them a glance at them, before glaring at Ace.

"On my couch doesn't count! When's the last time you slept normally?" Ace tried to think.

"Years ago?" Marco looked up like he was hoping for patience and steered Ace over to the table.

"It could have waited a few hours."

"But it is noon." Ace tilted his head as the rest of the department heads filed in. "You did say noon, right? It wasn't ready yet." Ace yawned, and the next time he blinked it was hard to open his lids again. He shook himself and drank more coffee. "Look, everyone's waiting. Aren't you supposed to say stuff?"

Marco made a sound halfway between and sigh and a growl and followed Ace over to the table where everyone was gathered. Ace sat down on one of the remaining chairs and drifted a bit while Marco droned about things that could have been important. Thatch kicked him hard under the table, and Ace jerked upright

"I _said, _Ace did you want to tell us your idea." Ace's gaze shot to Marco, and he nodded, kicked Thatch under the table as well for snickering. Marco luckily looked more worried than mad, but Ace wasn't really sure he liked either.

"Oh, um, sure." Ace plugged his laptop into the scene and opened up his slide show. "Basically, I never told you all what my project was." Everyone in the room stared at him blankly, and Ace fought back a laugh.

"I hadn't told anyone, including the investors. The processor was just the first step needed, though of course now I'll have to modify it to be even faster since it wouldn't do to have the show stolen as it were, even if they have nothing to do with it, and honestly, it's going to take them the whole time to reverse engineer it since my notes won't be of much use since no one can read them." Izo was gesturing for him to move on, and Ace decided he must be rambling.

"Right, anyway, it was going to be used in a voice activated smart home system. There are lots of versions of smart this and that out there, but the problem is is that none of them talk. Or well, they talk but not to each other." Ace flicked slides rapidly though the pictures of devices that had been hooked up to the internet so they could be controlled from anywhere: everything from coffee makers to locks.

"It's too hard to join all of them together unless one company makes every device, and that is just not very practical." There were some nods around the room, but what made Ace relax was Marco's narrowed eyes.

"So I was making a central device, one that could control everything locally and then communicate with the internet and could be controlled from anywhere in your house via voice, and smaller chips that could be plugged into anything." Ace pulled up a little schematic he'd made, turning to gesture to it since he really didn't want to see their reactions. The silence behind him was oppressive, so he rambled on, though that was really all there was to say.

"Of course, we'd have to work with various appliance makers and such at some point, but I can modify ones sold anywhere for the expo. I've messed around with them a lot at home, and we have several that work well enough on their own, but the point was the central system, and I needed the processor to make that work and-"

"Ace," Marco said, and Ace took a deep breath and turned around. Everyone was gaping at the screen, except Marco, but his smile looked so much lighter than yesterday, that Ace felt warmth flush through him. "This is brilliant. You can really do this in four weeks?" Ace laughed, trying to shove aside the bitter note.

"Well, I couldn't by myself. The actual hardware of it, almost certainly, but to program the voice recognition system, and connect it all... well, software isn't exactly my strong point. Not to mention there are like like pricing and signs and deals with appliance makers and such." Everyone in the room started grinning like mad.

"I think," Marco said, "we can help you with that." The room erupted in cheers, and Ace found himself surrounded by everyone, all talking at once.

* * *

Marco had eventually taken pity on Ace and dragged him out of what had quickly become a party. He'd figured on it turning into such if Ace did have something, and he'd not really expected to start work today, but Ace was obviously drooping. Marco dragged him from his overeager brothers with the excuse that they had to start planning. Thatch might have told him to lighten up a little, but Ace's grateful gaze was more than enough to make it worth it.

He pulled Ace down the hall to his office, not really sure he should let him drive home like this. It was a wonder he'd made it here.

"That was amazing, Ace." Marco said, sitting down on the couch, while Ace stood sleepily where he'd stopped dragging him. "You just saved us."

"It's just an idea, and one you already technically bought no less." Ace yawned, and when Marco gestured for him to sit, he was shocked when Ace chose to collapse on the couch next to him, instead of taking one of the two chairs. "There's no saying-" Ace yawned again and listed towards Marco before catching himself and sitting up straight again, "-that we can get it all done in time for the... expo" Marco watched in amusement as Ace's eyes drooped again on the last word, and he snuggled back into the couch.

"We can get it done, and Teach's great 'invention' will be obsolete before it's been unveiled 20 minutes." Marco turned slightly to face Ace and blinked when he saw how close Ace was now. "I cannot apologize enough for what happened with him. I-"

Ace shushed him sleepily. "Is no' yer fault, Marco. I'm the one who ought to say sorry. You were just being nice, and I was a total jerk." Ace's head fell onto Marco's shoulder, and he sighed contentedly. Marco stared down at Ace in shock, not even breathing in case it would bring the moment to an end. "I'm sorry, Marco."

Marco inhaled shakily, trying to force down his awareness of every single bit of Ace that was pressed up against him. His hand ran through Ace's hair idly, seemingly of it's own accord, but instead of waking Ace just burrowed his face further into Marco's shoulder and hummed contentedly, leaning into the caress.

Well, shit. What was he going to do now? He couldn't wake him up, not when there was clearly no saying when he'd let himself sleep again. Well, he hadn't had much sleep either. He set his cell phone alarm for an hour from then, and settled back against the couch. The last thing he remembered was Ace snuggling even closer in his sleep.

* * *

Ace's eyes shot open when the unfamiliar alarm sounded, and he found himself completely draped over Marco, almost in his boss' lap with his hands tucked against Marco's chest as he snuggled into his shoulder. Marco woke up as well, unwrapping his arms to turn off the alarm.

Ace sat up slowly, sliding along Marco inch by inch as he did so, and decided maybe it was better to do it quick, like a bandaid. He rolled off, feeling the loss of warmth immediately. He reminded himself firmly that he was actively trying to dislike Marco not two days ago, and it really wasn't appropriate to sleep on your boss unless you liked him. Ace blinked and shook his head.

"Ah, Sorry about that," Ace said to break the tense silence, running a hand through his very rumpled hair. It was just like Sabo to make him wear nice clothes and not remember to make him fix his hair.

"It's nothing." Marco's tone was clipped, and Ace couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

He'd clearly been listening to Sabo and Luffy far too much. Nothing good ever came of that.

Ace cleared his throat. "Well, then, you said something about planning?"

"Well, I'm head of software design, so I'll be the one working with you to get everything together in time." Marco paused, and when Ace didn't comment, he continued a little too quickly. "That is if you don't mind. I know I'm not exactly your favorite person, but hopefully it won't be too bad. I mean, we'll be working together a ridiculous amount, but..."

Ace smiled, guilt creeping up on him. "No, it should be you." Ace started rifling through his bag. "I have some basic outlines, but programing was never my strong suit, so we'll probably have to go over them together or make new ones."

"We can start that tomorrow," Marco said, "You really do need some rest." Ace pulled a thermos of coffee from his bag and refilled his cup, pouring one for Marco too using the lid as an extra cup. Marco accepted it with a quirked brow, but Ace ignored him in favor of caffeine. Marco frowned. "I'm really not sure you should drive home, though."

Ace hummed and curled up on the sofa with is coffee. "I was dropped off. I'm stuck here for..." He checked his phone. "Five more hours. Is my office still a crime scene?"

"Are you planning on sleeping on your floor?" Marco asked, laughing.

"No, I was thinking the desk. It's big enough, probably." Marco stared at him inscrutably. "I was going to steal you blanket?" Ace offered. "You know, for cushioning."

"How about I just drive you home?" Marco asked dryly, and Ace could have smacked himself. He could have asked Izo or Thatch. "I don't have anything to do apart from looking over your notes, which I can easily do at home."

"Oh, sure, I guess. If you don't mind."

"We'll work in here, if that is okay with you since your office is off limits, and we'll need to be in contact with each other all the time." Ace looked over the massive office with the seating area, the conference table big enough for eight, and the massive desk and laughed.

"I don't know, do you think there will be enough space for us both?" Marco laughed.

"Pops is a big fan of having enough space. He's a big man, and I'm pretty sure he was scarred from his stint in the cubicles. You'll notice we don't have any." Marco said dryly. Ace smiled at the warmth in Marco's tone, the same warmth that was there whenever he spoke about the company he protected.

"You must love him a lot." Marco grinned and stood up, pulling Ace to his feet as well.

"I do. He looks on all his employees as his children, and I am honored to have such a good man as my father. I couldn't ask for a better one." There was a light in Marco's eyes that Ace had never seen before as they gathered up their things and moved to the door.

"I'm sure he's very proud of what you're doing. He must trust you a lot to entrust you with all of his company."

"He was sure you'd come up with something to fix it actually," Marco said, pushing the button to call the elevator.

Ace's jaw dropped. "What, me? He doesn't know me."

"You're still his son, to him anyway." The elevator came, and they stepped on. "He's excited to meet you."

"I'm not really sure I want another father. Mine was more than enough, and I don't remember him." Marco glanced at him curiously, but he didn't ask, and because he didn't, Ace felt compelled to tell him.

"My father is Roger D. Gol." Marco's eyes widened at the soft confession. "I go by my mother's name for obvious reasons."

"I imagine it is hard to be taken seriously in the tech business as the son of the most famous hacker," Marco said after a moment. "But you are your own person, and it certainly won't change my opinion of you, nor Pops's, for what it's worth."

Ace grinned at him as they stepped outside and headed to Marco's car. "It means a lot, actually. Thank you."


	3. Chapter 3

Ace scavenged three rolling whiteboards from around the office as soon as he got in the morning, wheeling them all to Marco's office. He'd slept as soon as he got home, and he'd beaten Marco here, though he didn't have long probably until he got here. Sadly, Ace didn't have access to Marco's office, so for now he grabbed a chair, table for his laptop and calculator, and some markers and got to work in the hall outside.

Very few people were here yet, and most of the early birds were used to Ace's strange antics, so no one questioned him, though he did look up to find another whiteboard when he was almost out of space on the first board and some more colors of markers. And cake and coffee at some other point. He was very fond of the cake person and made a mental note to find out who they were so he could suck up.

The fourth whiteboard had, for all intents and purposes, turned his little section of the hallway into a fort, and Ace was quite happily zooming around on his chair working on circuit diagrams for an even better processor for the project. He had to shoot back to his laptop, which he'd put in the center, to look up constants and when he needed another color.

He'd long since lost the eraser somehow, and Ace's hands were covered in a rainbow of colors (and knowing him, his face too), but he pressed on, shrugging at the mess. Ace had gone through three modifications he could make to the original, their increase in speed and processing capacity, and their additional cost, and was starting on the fourth when his phone rang.

Ace answered blearily, looking around to find more coffee, erasers, and wet wipes on the floor in the delivery zone. He needed to get the person a puppy.

"Ace? You're here, right? I thought I saw your car. I'm sorry I forgot you'd be locked out until I got in," Marco said, and Ace took a sip of his perfect coffee and moaned in appreciation. "Ace?"

Ace hummed. "Sorry, the magical delivery person makes the best coffee ever." Ace looked around at his set up. "And it was no bother. I figured it out."

"Well, meet me up here, okay? Some idiot put a whole bunch of whiteboards in front of my office, but I'll unlock the door as soon as I move them." Ace almost spit out his coffee and coughed. Kicking off the floor so he sped toward the elevator side of the fort, Ace breached the walls, peering out to find an exasperated Marco staring at him. He hung up the phone and smiled sheepishly.

"I should have known." Marco sighed. "Really, I don't know why I didn't." Ace brushed it off and pulled him into the fort, closing the gap as he did so.

"What else was I supposed to do? I should have done this last week. Whiteboards are so cool." Marco's eyes flicked over him, gleaming with amusement, and Ace was suddenly very conscious of being covered in markers.

"I see they like you too." Ace flushed a bit, but spun around, rocketing himself to his laptop to hide it.

"Mock if you will, but magic elves bring you coffee and markers and erasers and cake. And your missing wall." There was a knock at the delivery side, and Ace turned towards it, letting himself bounce just a little. "Enter!"

Haruta opened that side, rolling in another chair and carrying another cup of coffee.

"It was you! Thank you!" Ace said, grinning at her. "You make divine coffee." Haruta looked shocked briefly but smiled.

"Thanks! Most people are ungrateful. You wouldn't believe it." She handed Marco the coffee, and he took it with a slight grimace. Haruta looked at him as if to say, 'See?', and Ace shook his head at such ingratitude. "Cool fort by the way."

"Maybe we can go in the office now?" Marco asked impatiently.

"You have no soul, I swear. It's a fort!" Haruta said, and Ace nodded sagely. You couldn't argue that.

"It is, however, a secret project, and the hallway is perhaps not the best place to work on it."

"Marco, I'm the best electrical engineer in this company except for Ace, and none of this makes any sense whatsoever. It looks like someone gave a kindergartener markers and a calculus book and told them to copy random letters in rainbow colors." Ace grinned, scooting back to admire the three boards he'd filled.

"They'll have great fun with the notes they stole, don't you think?" Ace asked, radiating smugness.

"You did everything like this? There's not even a discernable pattern. What is it anyway?"

"Cost analysis of boosting the processing capacity with three different methods." Haruta scanned the boards and sighed. While she was studying them, Marco surreptitiously poured his coffee in Ace's now empty cup. Ace gaped at him but decided not to question a good thing.

"Even that didn't help. Why be so convoluted?" Marco turned to him curiously as well.

"Crazy grandfather."

"Ahhh... that will do it." Haruta nodded in understanding, and Marco huffed in irritation.

"How exactly does that makes sense? Do you two have some secret engineer code as well?"

"We understand the fort, Marco. Non-believers like you may never learn the secrets." Haruta shook her head sadly, and Ace stifled a laugh.

"Can we at least move the fort into the office? I'll give you access today, so I don't find you holed up in the janitor's closet tomorrow, promise." Ace laughed and opened the wall near the office, gallantly bowing a scowling Marco out while Haruta giggled.

Between the three of them it was quick work to move everything inside, though much to Haruta's disappointment they left it open, so Ace could talk with Marco easily. Before she left, Haruta gave him a thermos of coffee, and told him if he need another pair of hands to just ask.

When she'd gone, Marco gestured Ace to join him in the seating area, settling himself in a chair while Ace took the couch.

"I looked over your notes last night, and I have a few questions before we start if that's okay." The early morning light filtered through the windows, gilding Marco's hair, and Ace smiled.

"Where would you like to begin?"

* * *

Marco sighed, glaring at the computer in front of him as if it were somehow its fault. Nothing was making sense anymore, and while he knew it was time for a beak, there wasn't time for a break. They'd made good progress in the two weeks, but they'd yet to finish the centerpiece of the system, and time was burning.

Ace threw another dead marker into the trash can with the clang, and Marco felt the corners of his mouth turn up just a bit. You could almost set a clock by how often he burned through those things. His computer screen didn't offer any better news, so Marco looked up to see how Ace was fairing. He'd flopped over the side of the armchair and was looking at his board upside down, hanging over the arm.

Over the course of two weeks, Marco had learned this meant one of two things. Either Ace was just about to finish something important and was checking his work, or nothing was making sense to him, either. From the unhappy mutterings, he was pretty sure they were in the same boat.

Ace's position caused his shirt to ride up, exposing toned stomach to Marco, who found his attention was well and truly caught. Ace sighed and sat up slowly, his muscles rippling as he rose. Marco closed his eyes, wishing for patience. Or self-control. He wasn't really sure anymore.

He opened them to find Ace perched on his desk, staring at him.

"You too?" Marco blinked, and Ace huffed at his lack of understanding. "Are you stuck too?"

"Yeah," Marco said, "this-" Before he could explain, Ace was pulling him out from behind his desk and out of the office entirely. "What-"

"We're not getting anything done like this. We need to go out, do something, see something besides the office. Trust me. It will be time well spent."

"But where are we going? It's three in the afternoon." Marco's heart thumped so loudly he was sure Ace could hear when Ace turned around and grinned at him, mischief dancing in his eyes.

He hummed. "I think I know somewhere perfect. Let me just make a call." Marco watched, curiosity growing as Ace chattered with someone named Chopper, asking if they could visit him in twenty minutes for a bit, his laughter warming Marco.

They'd come a long way from Ace hating him, but Marco couldn't help but feel like it could happen again at any time, and any sign that Ace was happy with him was always welcome. Ace all but shoved him in the car, despite Marco being perfectly willing. Ace kept shooting him excited glances, as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"What is it, Ace?" Ace's grin grew, and Marco couldn't help but return it, caught up in Ace's excitement. They'd done nothing but work the last two weeks, and it was nice to just drive along in the sun, and have proof that it was sometimes still light outside.

"Just wait and see." Ace gave him a sidelong glance when they pulled up to a red light. "You're supposed to be patient. Thatch told me you were patient."

"I suppose I am, for the most part," Marco said slowly. "But after three weeks you really ought to know better than to use Thatch as a source of information." Ace snorted, and Marco found himself remembering that Thatch had implied Ace liked him. Clearly, he was not to be trusted. Ace might be friendly enough now, but Marco couldn't even take that for granted.

"This isn't going to take long, is it?"

"We'll stay for an hour at most, worrywart. And then we'll go back, and everything will make sense again." Marco looked at him, a brow raised.

"I've done a few of these projects before, you know." Ace might have blushed, but before Marco could get more than a glance, he'd but the turn signal on, and Marco's attention was sidetracked.

"Here we are!" Ace said, pulling into the small zoo not far from Silicon Valley. It was minuscule, and it had been quite some time since Marco had bothered to go, but Ace was beaming at him with such excitement, Marco couldn't help but grin.

"It's been forever since I've been to the zoo."

"Really? Then you're in for a treat. Besides, you know, you're one of the top donors here. You should really go every once and a while and prove it isn't just for taxes."

"It's not just for-" Marco stopped mid-sentence and sighed, as Ace smirked at him. "Why'd you have to call ahead?"

"I know one of the zookeepers. He's Luffy's friend, and so I see him all the time." Ace parked the car and waved off Marco's not-so-subtle subject change, his eyes warm as he kept up his exaggerated disbelief. "It's the zoo. Who doesn't go to the zoo?"

"I don't build forts, I don't go to the zoo, I must just be a boring person." They got out of the car and started toward the entrance. Instead of laughing, Ace gave him a measured glance. Marco had to resist the urge to squirm. It reminded him of when Luffy had stared at him in the restaurant.

"You're not boring. You just forget to have fun." Ace smiled, a softer smile than usual, and he grabbed Marco's wrist to pull him into the zoo. He'd already bought their tickets online at some point (and when exactly did he have time to do that?), so they were in in no time at all, and Chopper was waiting for them in the entrance.

"Hi, guys! I don't have too much time, but I got permission to show Mr. Phoenix around, since he is one of our most generous donors. They especially want me to show you the Socorro doves, since we were only able to set up their habitat because of you." Chopper had switched into a lecturing voice, and Ace rolled his eyes over his head at Marco.

"They're extinct in the wild, but they're hoping to reintroduce them at some point, and they need as much stock as possible. And no Ace you cannot pet them." Chopper smiled at Marco and Ace, clearly delighted to have them there.

"It's very nice to meet you, Chopper."

"Like that would make me happy!" Ace chuckled at Marco's surprise to the harsh answer, especially when Chopper looked so excited as he said it. "And the honor is all mine. I've heard a lot about you, so it's nice to finally meet you." Marco looked at Ace who seemed to be finding the ground suddenly very interesting.

"Anyway," Chopper continued blithely, "you guys are on a tight schedule too, so we'd best be going if you want to spend any time with the birds and still get to look around."

* * *

After visiting the doves, they'd had enough time to visit each of the other animals before their promised hour was up, and Marco could honestly say it's been a long time since he enjoyed a visit to the zoo more. Ace was so excited about each and every animal that is was hard not to get caught up in it too, and the birds he'd apparently helped save were gorgeous. He made a mental note to find out more about them and see if he could help more.

Ace could be very enthusiastic at work, but it was a whole other level here, and Marco found himself curious what other layers of Ace were hidden to him. He'd never get to answer the question, and he found himself zoning out as Ace chattered about the animals, eating the cotton candy Chopper had insisted on him getting.

By the time the hours was up, he was more than ready to go, though, not sure he could take Ace's proximity any more, especially with Ace looking at him like _that_. Not while he laughed and caught Marco's hand to lead him onward. They drove back towards the office in comfortable silence, and as they walked back to the office, taking the stairs at Ace's instance, Marco paused, turning back so he was facing Ace. Ace looked up at him curiously, and Marco smiled widely.

"Thank you. That was really fun, and I needed that. It really has been too long since I'd been." Ace titled his head and laughed looking up at Marco from the stair below him, eyes warm and full of things that Marco was definitely imagining.

"Next time we'll work on the fun of forts." The easy way Ace assumed there would be a next time brought a grin to Marco's face, matching the one on Ace's. The moment stretched, and Marco had to force himself to turn away, to walk up the stairs to their office, and he wondered when it had become theirs and not just his.

Ace never stayed still while he worked, and he flitted from area to area every day, and there was not a section that did not have his stamp on it now, except maybe Marco's desk. Marco could tell himself (and Thatch and Izo) all he liked that it just more convenient, but Marco knew he'd miss Ace destroying the order of his office when the project was over, and he no longer had that excuse to keep Ace up with him.

There was very little time that they actually consulted each other on the project, really only needing to discuss what they were doing every other day for now, but Marco never suggested they move Ace back into his now cleared office and gave thanks every day that Ace never brought it up.

Marco shook himself as they reached the top of the stairs and opened the door, not surprised to see that many people were already packing up to beat rush hour. They weren't much for regular hours here, and many people worked from home some days. Marco was pretty flexible with such things, just like Whitebeard had been before him, as long as everyone did their work and showed up to any meetings.

If tonight was anything like the rest of the last couple of weeks, both of them would be here long past normal working hours, and Marco would have to all but drag Ace out at midnight if things were going well. There were several nights where Marco had gotten too caught up himself, and they'd not actually managed to leave at all.

"Now, it's all going to make perfect sense as soon as we step back into the office." Ace's voice startled Marco out of his thoughts of not-creepily watching Ace sleep all curled up in one of the chairs last Tuesday before moving him to the couch, not daring to breath when Ace had curled into him instinctively. He quirked a brow, radiating skepticism.

"Promise?"

"It only works if you believe it! You've got to believe, Marco." Marco hummed noncommittally as he unlocked the door, holding it for Ace. Ace tugged him into the office, pouting just as Marco had hoped. Ace's phone rang, and Marco automatically looked the clock, trying not to grit his teeth when he saw it was that time.

Every day since they'd met in the pub, the owner, Sanji, had called Ace at least once a day to make sure they'd eaten, and if not he'd bring something over personally, often with Luffy along for the ride. It was nice, and it was heartwarming to see Ace with Luffy, but Marco couldn't help but wish he might be a little less devoted to ensuring Ace was fed.

Ace finished the call quickly and grinned at him before flopping in one of the chairs to stare at the board he'd been glaring at before they'd left. "Food in an hour or so when they have a lull. It's a surprise, apparently." Marco felt his eyebrow twitch as he sat back behind his desk, opening up his program. The food was always amazing, and they rarely got something that was on the menu, instead supposedly giving Sanji the chance to try out new things. Marco found the whole thing suspicious since, as far as he could tell, Ace liked _everything_.

By the time that Sanji and Luffy had appeared with ridiculous amounts of food, the company was almost empty apart from them, even Haruta having stopped by to say goodnight, and they'd both proved Ace right. It had all worked itself out after the trip to the zoo, and they both startled when Luffy threw open the door.

He immediately leapt on Ace, who kept writing on his board furiously regardless of his brother clinging to him. Luffy pouted and came over to perch on Marco's desk, in what was rapidly becoming Ace's spot. Apparently, the scorn for his perfectly nice chairs in front of his desk ran in the family.

"Hey, Marco! How's it going today?" Marco smiled and closed his laptop, figuring they'd get nothing more done until after dinner anyway, and he might as well distract Luffy so Ace could finish whatever it was he was planning. "Have fun at the zoo?"

"Chopper told you already? That was fast." Luffy laughed. "It's going well. Where's Sanji?"

"Still flirting with the nice lady that let us in probably." Luffy said, and Ace's head shot up. Marco swallowed when Ace's tension melted away after a second, and he laughed.

"That idiot. He and Zoro have been going out for two years now, and he's still up to his old tricks?" Sanji glared at Ace as he entered the office, two bags of food in his hands, and Marco didn't fail to notice Luffy watching the involuntary relief on his face with a grin.

"I hardly see what one has to do with the other." Sanji set the food on the table and began unwrapping it with unbelievable speed, arranging everything just so. Ace snorted.

"You wouldn't, but I bet Zoro does." Ace crossed to Sanji and had his hand smacked when he tried to steal a taste. He rubbed it exaggeratedly, and Luffy snuck in and snatched a roll while Sanji was distracted. Marco watched in amusement as Luffy broke off half and slipped it to Ace, wondering if Ace was a planned diversion.

Luffy and Sanji didn't stay long after that, knowing that their meal breaks were necessarily short (not that Ace seemed to require much time to consume the massive quantities of food that Sanji brought), and it seemed like only a moment before they were back to work, the soft instrumental music playing softly in the background.

Marco was startled out of thoughts by Ace plopping himself on his desk. A cup of coffee was passed to him wordlessly, Ace's grin more than speaking for itself.

"You're ready to move on to the real prototypes?" Marco asked, taking a sip of the surprisingly well made coffee.

"Yep!" Ace's grin was contagious, and Marco couldn't help but return it. He rubbed his eyes and stretched. He felt weighed down by exhaustion, and it was surely far too early for... The clock read a quarter to three. Marco gulped more coffee and shook his head.

"That's great, Ace!" Before the words were all out of his mouth, Ace was around the desk, leaning over Marco to see Marco's work on the open laptop.

"Where are you?" Ace asked, and then started rambling about the code Marco was writing, but it was too much for Marco to pay attention to when Ace was _right there_. He was too tired to keep himself from staring, counting each freckle on his face and was it even fair for a man to have such beautiful lashes? "Marco?" Marco jolted and found Ace had turned to him, a questioning look on his face, his lips no more than six inches from Marco's.

Marco's gaze seemed stuck to his lips, but when Ace bit his lower lip, Marco's eyes shot up to Ace's eyes. Uncertainty was written across Ace's face so clearly even Marco could understand it, but there was something underneath that, something that prevented Marco from pulling back, from putting polite distance between them.

Ace's lips parted, and Marco could feel his soft exhale. Ace drew in a breath, and Marco's heart was beating far too quickly. He really should cut back on the coffee because this couldn't be healthy.

"Marco..." Ace was drawing even nearer, and Marco couldn't bring himself to blink in case he miss any of this mom-

His phone rang.

Ace was suddenly on the other side of the desk, and Marco blinked, stunned by the loss of the warmth he hadn't even know he'd been so aware of. He reached for the phone slowly, cursing whoever was on the other end for their ridiculously bad timing. The number was unknown, and he mentally rolled his eyes as he answered. Surely at this hour it had to be a misdial by someone who'd had a bit too much to drink.

"Is this Mr. Phoenix?" At the professional voice at the other end, Marco automatically straightened, and he noticed Ace frowning at him curiously.

"Yes," Marco said tersely, his stomach sinking as all of the terrible reasons someone offical would be calling him at almost three in the morning began flashing through his head.

"I'm calling from Good Samaritan. Your father had just been admitted. He's in critical condition, and you're listed as his primary contact." A roaring in his ears seemed to block out everything the woman was saying, and Marco's hand on the phone felt numb as he looked around for a pen distractedly. He needed to-

A warm hand took the phone out of his lax hand, Ace's other hand resting on his shoulder as he spoke to the woman. The conversation was brief, and before Marco had even begun to process everything, Ace was chivvying him out of his chair and pressing a travel mug of coffee in his hands (where had he even dug that up from?). He smiled weakly at Ace.

"Come on. I'll drive. You're in no shape to." Marco nodded and let himself be lead to the car.

* * *

By the time they'd gotten to the hospital, Marco had snapped out of it and was back to his usual controlled self, but the empty look in his eyes had terrified Ace. He caught himself examining Marco often, making sure that the dead look hadn't come back as he dealt with the paperwork.

Ace had kept busy calling the rest of the family, surprised that that included every department head. They all cared deeply for their father, no matter the lack of blood connection. All of them were coming, and Ace wondered vaguely if anything would be done at work today. Not that it mattered, he supposed. There was nothing more important than this, anyway.

Marco collapsed into the chair next to Ace just as he finished his last call, sighing and rubbing a hand through his by now strangely flat hair. Ace almost laughed when it just fell back flat on his head. That was just unnatural, no matter that gravity was supposed to work on everything. Ace laid his hand on top of Marco's before he could think better of it, and Marco just laced their fingers and smiled tiredly.

"He's had the surgery before. Bypass surgery. For coronary disease. I think it was fifteen years ago? Oh, god I just had pizza with him. And beer!" Ace tightened his grip.

"Life without pizza and beer is not worth living to some," Ace pointed out. "He doesn't seem the type to follow a diet." Marco laughed.

"You could be quoting him." Marco's laughter, however tinged with sadness, unknotted tension Ace hadn't know he'd had. "It's just that he's older now, and the surgery is pretty dangerous for people of Pops's age."

Ace smiled. "I've heard he and my grandpa are friends. If they're anything alike, he's not the kind to give up on life." Marco laughed.

"That's for sure. Though I'm pretty sure Garp is scarier." Ace nodded solemnly.

"I've never met your Pops, but I already know that's true." He shuddered exaggeratedly, and triumph filled him at Marco's sincere laughter.

"He'd love you. He's been bugging me to bring you over since we hired you." Ace blinked. "You're part of the family, you know, at least according to him. The rest of us too, of course." Marco looked away. "I know it's not what you wanted, but while you're with us, I hope you're happy."

Ace grinned, and he felt surprised to realize he meant it. "It's had its upsides. I can't wait to meet Pops."

"Thank you." Ace cocked his head and raised a brow questioningly.

"For being here. For being you." Marco ran a hand through his hair again. "Hell, I don't know. Just thank you." Marco sat up. "You should go home. You need sleep."

"Hypocrite. You need it more than I do."

"I'm not leaving until Thatch gets here."

"Then neither will I."

"But Ace-" Marco huffed, and Ace was amused to see he was almost pouting. "I'm not going to get you to leave, am I?"

"Nope."

"You don't have to look so insufferably smug about it."

Ace pretended to consider that for a moment, and Marco was looking pretty smug himself. The infamous Marco Phoenix, business dealer extraordinaire, just conceded defeat with barely an argument."

"If I've learned anything besides the fact that you seemingly don't need to sleep, I've learned that arguing with you when you get that look on your face is a waste of time." Marco chuckled.

"Very true. So you'll not argue when I tell you to not to come in until Pops is home?" The shock on Marco's face made Ace smile.

"You do know I'm your boss, right? You can't order me around."

Ace hummed. "I think I just did. I'll hack the security and kick you out if I have to. Your laptop is still there." Marco blinked, mouth dropping open at the threat.

"But the expo is-"

"Don't you trust me?" Marco halted at the question, and his measuring look made Ace feel suddenly inadequate.

"I do, of course." Marco sighed. "Fine. But as soon as he's stable, I'm coming back."

Ace stared at him measuring the compromise and nodded shortly.

"And you're going home to sleep as soon as Thatch or one of the others gets here." Marco spoke so certainly that Ace nodded before he'd given it much though. "You'll need your sleep if you're to do the work of both of us." His smile warmed Ace straight through, and Ace decided he might have to accept that he had some serious issues when it came to his feelings about Marco's smiles.

* * *

Ace stumbled home a couple hours later, and Sabo and Luffy were both in the living room. He'd texted them both, not that they'd really worry given that his appearances at home had not exactly been regular lately. "He's in surgery now, so no one will know for hours."

They both nodded, and Luffy sprung up to run to the kitchen, coming back with a platter piled with sandwiches, and he sat it down, dashing back to the kitchen to grab a pitcher and glasses. He handed Ace a glass of water almost forcefully, glaring at him until he'd drank a full glass.

Ace let Luffy fuss over him, grateful for the comfort. He sat on the couch between his brothers, staring at his ham sandwich until Sabo nudged him.

"I have a problem."

"Just one?" Sabo grinned. "Because I could think of many more."

Ace swatted at him halfheartedly, and Sabo sobered. Luffy grinned and shoved three sandwiches in his mouth at once.

"Being in love is not a problem, Ace" Luffy said, after he'd swallowed, and Ace choked on his own sandwich.

"I am most certainly not in love!"

"Denial, that's another of your problems," Sabo said, nodding sagely.

"You two are no help whatsoever." They snickered and decimated the rest of the sandwiches along with Ace, Luffy forcing more water on him. When they'd finished, they sat there for a moment, Luffy's eyes intent on Ace's fourth glass of water. Ace glared at him, but before he could protest that he was going to float away, Sabo spoke up.

"So what's your problem then?" The teasing note in his voice did not go unnoticed, but Ace was too tired to deal with it. He just sighed and stood up.

"I'm going to bed now. Wake me up in time to take you to work, Luffy." He tossed his phone to Sabo. "Or if there's any news." He shot a glance at Sabo, ready to argue, but when Sabo just nodded, it made everything seem more real. He needed to sleep. That's all this was. He pointedly ignored the whispering as he finally made his way to his room.

**Animal and zoo consultation thanks to imperialmint as always, though she didn't get to check it, so I probably got something wrong xD **


	4. Chapter 4

Ace was surprised at his own relief when Thatch called him to tell him the surgery went well, and the doctors had every hope that he'd make a full recovery. He was less surprised at the disappointment that it had been Thatch that called to tell him, and even Sabo's and Luffy's knowing grins couldn't help keep him in stubborn denial.

He'd gotten lots done over the few days that Marco had been gone, but the solitude of the office had him visiting everyone else. Ace had even tried playing his weird work music to get in the groove but all too often found himself in Haruta's office or being thrown out of Izo's or Thatch's.

Marco had come in three days later, and Ace had been in the office (he'd always stayed until there was little chance of Marco making an appearance). He'd raised an eyebrow at the new furniture arrangement, as Ace shot out of his chair only to stop awkwardly, unsure how to greet Marco.

"I like it." Marco smiled, and Ace felt himself light up. They'd gone straight to work, and, apart from Ace trying to shove him out earlier than before, they fell right back into their old pattern.

Ace shook himself and fiddled with the chip he held in his hands. Enough procrastinating. He put it in the coffee maker he'd stolen from the break room yesterday, making sure the connections were all correct three times before looking up at Marco and nodding. He bit down on his lower lip, and Marco plugged in the central unit they'd finished yesterday.

This one would be their third test (and second coffee maker: the one that had been in Marco's office had almost set off the sprinklers). He met Marco's eyes as the central unit booted up, and he knew that this time, it would work. He plugged in the coffee maker, filled it with coffee and water, and set the pot under the spout before crossing the room to join Marco on the couch.

The central unit on the coffee table chirped a happy little song, signaling it turned on. "Hello, my name is Moby. May I know your name?"

"Marco."

"Nice to meet you, Marco. There are no chips registered. Would you like to add one now?"

"Yes, chip number one, please," Marco said, and the machine made a happy little noise that had Ace grinning.

"I've found the chip specified. I see that this is a coffee maker; is that correct, Marco?" Marco shot a look at Ace, and Ace leaned forward.

"Yes, that's correct," Ace said.

"I'm sorry, but you are an unauthorized user, I can add you as an user if Marco gives permission. Marco, is chip number one for a coffee maker?"

"Yes, Moby, and this is Ace. He's allowed to use you as well." Moby chirped a few times.

"Thank you, Marco. It is lovely to meet you, Ace, and coffee pot one is registered. Do you want to name it?"

"No, thank y-" Marco began, but Ace jumped in.

"It's called the Striker, Moby." He shrugged at Marco's questioning look. People would disagree, and they needed to see how it would react to such a confusing situation.

"Is that okay with you, Marco?" Moby was quick to respond, and Ace raised his brows, impressed in spite of himself.

"Sure, we can humor Ace, I think." Marco smirked at Ace, and Ace stuck out his tongue in spite of himself. "Now that that is taken care of, Moby, can you make Ace a pot of coffee?"

"Certainly, Marco." Ace held his breath, reaching out to rest his hand on the fire extinguisher. Marco's hand brushed against his other hand on the couch between them, and the coffee machine lit up. It hummed, and Ace heard Marco's indrawn breath as the coffee began brewing without a hitch. "The coffee will be done in about two minutes at the current rate. Please be careful when it is finished, Ace, as it will be hot. Is there anything else you need at the moment."

Marco didn't answer for a long moment, but just when Ace was about to speak up, he cleared his throat. "No, thank you, Moby, that will be all." Marco's tone was hushed, disbelief and reverence heavy in his tone, and Ace swallowed hard.

"If there is anything else you require, just call my name!." The central unit chirped again, and the standby light came on. Silence fell over the room as they processed the test. Ace barely even noticed the click of the coffee pot as it finished brewing and shut off.

Ace couldn't believe it. Everything had worked perfectly. All of their hard work had finally paid off, and Ace turned to Marco, mouth opening to say something, but he couldn't seem to find the words. He mechanically reached for his phone, which he'd had recording the whole thing..

"Test complete. Everything worked perfectly. Clear to move on to advanced testing." Somehow, when he pressed the stop button, it finally hit him.

Ace laughed. He wasn't sure if it was from relief or exhaustion, but when Marco joined in, he just couldn't stop. They laughed so hard that they ended up supporting each other on the couch, unable to sit upright without leaning. Everytime Ace finally managed to stop, he'd meet Marco's eyes, and they would start all over again.

Finally, they managed to collect themselves, and Ace finally noticed that he was clinging to Marco (who was, to be fair, clinging back) and half in his lap. Again. What was it with this particular couch? He looked up, about to apologize, but the intensity in Marco's gaze caught him, and he found himself unable to say anything. He didn't know exactly how it happened, but their lips met briefly, sending a shock through him like nothing he had ever felt before.

Marco pulled him fully on his lap and kissed him again, running his hands up Ace's back to tangle in his hair. Ace moaned, resettling himself in Marco's lap, when Marco's tongue ran along his lips. The world was spinning wilding, and there was nothing but Marco and the rush of success. Ace pressed closer to Marco, wrapping his arms around Marco's neck, and bit down on Marco's lower lip lightly.

The moan that escaped Marco was muffled, but Ace felt a thrill nonetheless as Marco retaliated by tugging his hair to change the angle, deepening the kiss. The touch of Marco's tongue on his own sent fire through his veins, and, as Marco mapped out every corner of his mouth, Ace could only shudder.

He felt Marco's chest under his hands rise and fall in short shallow bursts, mirroring his own labored breathing. Finally, Ace pulled back a little, gasping for air, and Marco let him retreat only briefly before brushing his lips ever so lightly over Ace's, arms tightening around Ace even as he retreated.

Marco's smile was soft, but Ace didn't ever think he'd seen him so carefree before, so... content, and the thought that he was part of the cause of it was enormously appealing. Ace couldn't help but return the smile at least until everything hit. He felt blood rush to his cheeks as he scrambled off Marco's lap and quickly started gathering his stuff.

"I- um- that is- we-it." Ace took a deep breath and turned to look at Marco, who looked like he might be holding back a laugh. "I'll- see you tomorrow, Marco, but I really need to- well, no, Sabo picked up Luffy, it's three in the morning. Anyway-"

Ace broke off as Marco made his way across the room and handed him his current marker, which he stared at dumbly for a moment before taking.

"Bye, Ace. Sweet dreams." Marco's voice skittered along his nerves, and Ace made his way out the door without another word. Sweet dreams indeed.

* * *

Ace couldn't decide if the fluttery feeling in his stomach was nerves or just happiness. Sabo had caught him grinning at nothing three times before shoving him out the door, muttering about people who were cheerful at eight in the morning, so he figured it was probably happiness, the sappy sort that would have Sabo mocking him once he woke up enough.

The sun was bright as he leaned on his car, staring at the suddenly foreboding building. He drained the last of his coffee and yawned. Of course it could just be sleep deprivation. Yeah, sleep deprivation. Ace nodded decisively and pushed off the car.

He thought about stopping by someone else's office before heading on up but dismissed the idea, taking the stairs two at time, just like usual. It was a bit disappointing to peek through the door and see Marco's desk vacant, but he'd be in soon enough. Ace strolled into the office as he did every day, heading straight for the coffee pot. He could at least have the coffee ready for Marco.

"So you must be Garp's brat." Ace jumped and spun to face the couch, letting out an embarrassing squawk. The man laughed and patted the seat next to him. Ace found himself across the room and sitting before he'd even really registered the direction. "It's been awhile since I've been overlooked, brat. Marco must be working you far too hard. I'm Edward Whitebeard." Ace found his hand enveloped in Whitebeard's surprisingly strong grip. Then again, nothing else would suit such a man, surgery or not.

"I'm Ace Portgas. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. Marco's told me so much about you. And the others of course."

"You're taking good care of Marco, I hope? It's nice to see him happy about something other than work."

Ace sputtered, and Whitebeard raised a brow. "You two are still dancing around each other?" Whitebeard sighed. "I know you're busy with work and all, but really, it's getting ridiculous from what I've heard."

"I-" Ace was at a loss. "We've just been busy?"

"Well, that's no excuse. You're doing splendidly, from what Marco showed me. Brilliant work, son."

Ace started. "Where is Marco?"

"He's off to fix one of Thatch's messes. He'll be back soon. Now, back to the point."

"Yeah, we should be ready in time for the-" Ace couldn't force the words out under Whitebeard's scrutinizing expression. "We kissed last night?" He clapped a hand over his mouth in horror. He did not just tell Marco's father and their boss that he'd kissed Marco. Whitebeard laughed again and slapped him on the back.

"Good! That's more like it. Figure things out soon, okay? You make him happy, and from your expression, I'd say the reverse is true as well." Whitebeard shook his head fondly. "You should have seen him mope when you'd first joined. It was downright pathetic."

"Oh really?" Before Ace could pursue this new and interesting line of conversation, Marco entered the office.

"Pops, you really should be heading home. Your doctor would kill me if he knew I let you come in to work, and anyway, Ace will be here any second." Ace leaned forward so he could see Marco around Whitebeard and grinned. Their eyes met, and Marco's smile sent shivers all the way to Ace's toes. "Oh, hey, Ace."

"Hey."

Whitebeard laughed. "Alright, alright. I'll just leave you two to it then. Remember, what I said, Ace. And you'll be calling me Pops, right?" Ace nodded, grinning as Izo ducked into the office, car keys in hand.

"Ready to go, Pops?" When they'd left, Marco settled next to Ace, just shy of leaning, and he rubbed his face tiredly.

"Do I want to know?"

"Probably not." Ace shook his head, a grin coming to his face when he thought of Marco sulking because he didn't like him. Marco sighed and brushed a hand through his hair. Ace had to fight to keep from straightening it and wondered what Marco's reaction would be if he just gave in and did it.

"Well, we're not far off from turning everything over to marketing and production. We can deal with the rest later." Marco brushed a thumb along the back of Ace's hand, and Ace fought down a shiver at the unspoken promise.

"Let's finish this."

* * *

When they walked into the pub, Luffy shot across the room, knocking the breath clear out of Ace with his hug. Sanji grinned and waved from across the room, ducking back in the kitchen, hopefully to prepare something wonderful.

"Ace, you came out of the lair!" Luffy spun around and gave Marco the same treatment. Marco's eyes were wide, but he returned the hug, and Ace smiled. He'd get used to it eventually. Just the thought that he might have to had Ace grinning just as widely as Luffy. "Did you finish? Did you?"

"Not quite, but we just have final testing to do, so we came to celebrate. And give Sanji a break from babysitting you." Ace ruffled Luffy's hair and received a pout. It was short-lived though, and soon Luffy had pulled them to a table, unsubtly pushing them both into the same side of the booth.

They had barely sat down before Sanji appeared with the usual plates of food, but given that it was packed with people, he didn't stop to eat with them. Marco was mostly silent as Ace responded to Luffy's chatter, but whenever Ace glanced his way, Marco's half smile would light up his eyes, and Ace's stomach would flip in a way that had nothing to do with the food.

Ace was grateful it was Luffy across from them instead of Sabo since he ignored Ace's blatant zoning out, though Ace could tell he noticed. He mostly used it as a chance to sneak food, which was totally cheating.

"- and then Zoro finally made it back from shopping, and boy, was Sanji mad! He-" A shadow fell across the table and Luffy paused, all of them looking up.

"Why if it isn't my old bosses! What a coincidence to run into you here." Teach's laugh was ugly and harsh, grating on Ace's nerves like nails on a chalkboard. He was about to spring up to confront Teach, but Marco's hand on his thigh stopped him.

"Teach, what a surprise. I wouldn't think you'd be out this way much anymore." Luffy had picked up enough from Ace's aborted movement and Marco's tone for his gaze to turn cold. Ace took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. Marco would have a reason, surely.

"I missed my old haunts, thought I'd take a trip down memory lane, so to speak." Again the laugh, and Luffy had apparently put it together by his darkening expression, and it was only a matter for time before he launched himself at Teach. "but you sure do look relaxed and cozy over here. Especially with the expo in only a week. That's Whitebeard for you, though."

"I'm surprised you're not busier yourself, Teach. What with your driving all the way out here. Does your new company not have you on the expo project? Such a shame," Ace drawled and made a great show of his sympathy, and he heard Marco's quiet huff of amusement. Luffy tilted his head exaggeratedly.

"So you're useless?"

"I am not useless, you little brat! I'm highly valued, you know. One of the top seven!"

Luffy hummed, and Ace forced down a snicker. "I don't know. You look pretty useless to me."

Teach's eyes flashed, but he couldn't afford to be the first one to strike. He leaned forward on the table. "Your relaxed attitude won't fool me, you know. Laugh all you'd like now, but that doesn't change the fact Whitebeard is going to crumble when you show up empty handed to the expo, and when it falls, I'll be standing on top of the rubble," he hissed.

Ace tensed, but the hand on his thigh tightened, and he took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax.

"There's no way you could save yourselves this time," Teach said and smirked confidently. "It was certainly good to see you. I'll look forward to seeing you at the expo even more."

He left as abruptly as he came, heading straight to the front door without ordering, which was probably wise given the expression on Sanji's face. Luffy shattered the silence by grabbing another roll and shoving it in his mouth.

"What a jerk," he said while chewing. "You'd better kick his ass good, Ace."

"Oh, I plan to." Marco raised a brow at him, and Ace grinned easily, very conscious that Marco's hand had not moved. "Sorry, _we_ will."

* * *

"I can't believe it." Ace stared as Marco shut his laptop and Jozu and Vista lugged the refrigerator out of the room. They'd had an entire apartment set up in the office at by the end, and it was all fully integrated into the system. They'd spent all day playing with their gadgets and calling it testing, but there was no need for more tests.

Marco collapsed next to him on the couch and inwardly agreed, too tired to vocalise. They were done. The expo was in a little less than a week, and while they would be on call to help with any glitches that came up, it was in the hands of everyone else now. Production plans and marketing and pricing and all had been going on all around them while they worked, but it was all shaping up.

Izo and Haruta had copied everything, and there were now four fully functional systems for the expo, and they were ready to go into production two or three months after the expo. Vista was already preparing contracts for the major appliance companies that would hopefully be clamoring to be the sole brand that had chips built in from the start. In six months, Moby would be on the shelves, and Marco was far too tired to even consider all the headaches ahead.

At least he'd hopefully not be directly in charge or R&amp;D anymore. Marco smiled at the thought and turned to Ace, who was still staring shell shocked at the blank whiteboards across the room.

Ace must have felt his gaze because he turned to face him, letting his head slump back against the couch. "What do we do now?" The whispered question sounded almost lost, and Marco could sympathize.

"I was going to ask you out when we finished." A shadow passed over Ace's eyes, and Marco could have smacked himself. "I still want to of course, but I'm not sure we're fit to be let out in public." Ace chuckled weakly.

"Izo surely wouldn't think so. I'd have said yes though. Or I will. If you were wondering." Marco suddenly felt much lighter, light enough to maybe even get up.

"We could scrounge up food at my place and watch a movie or something? Or do you have to go home?" Ace sat up abruptly, and Marco could have cursed himself. What was he thinking proposing something so intimate when-

"Sure! That sounds great. And Luffy wasn't working today, so I don't have to take him home, so that's no problem." Ace pulled out his phone and typed furiously for a few seconds. He grinned at Marco and jumped up. "C'mon, or we'll just end up sleeping on the couch again. There's not even a good excuse this time."

Marco raised his brows while letting Ace pull him off the couch. "I'm pretty sure the fact that neither of us has slept in more than 24 hours counts as a good excuse." Ace brushed that off exaggeratedly as they made their way to the door.

"We really should be used to that by now. It's like training."

"I think it just gets worse, not better."

"That's just what they want you to think."

"What who wants you to think?"

"I have no idea, but it sounds like a good argument, doesn't it." Marco stared at Ace uncomprehendingly for a few seconds then burst into laughter.

"We should probably just sleep." Ace nodded gravely.

"So, you driving or am I?" Ace asked, and Marco just smiled and pulled out his keys.

The drive back to Marco's apartment didn't take long. It was still early for rush hour, and they rode in a comfortable silence. Marco parked and lead Ace to his door, only fumbling the keys a little before wresting the door open. Ace looked around curiously when they made it inside. It was a fairly modest place, just the bedroom and bathroom apart from the main room which housed the kitchen, living, and dining areas.

Ace followed him to the kitchen where Marco automatically started coffee for them both. He'd started to wonder if it had any effect anymore, but it was a bit weird not to have any. Ace leaned on the counter and watched as the coffee began to drip down into the pot below while Marco turned to the fridge. It was surprisingly well-stocked, a note from Thatch chiding him to remember to eat explaining the surplus of food.

Marco leaned forward into the fridge, and when Ace joined him pressing along his side to peer in as well, he took a deep breath, letting himself lean just the slightest. "Looks like we'll have to cook. Jambalaya okay with you?" Ace just gave him a look, and Marco snorted and continued on. "Thatch made up seasoning packets and left them here, so we won't have to fuss too much."

"Sounds great. I'll cut up the vegetables then." Marco nodded and grabbed what they would need out from the fridge, handing Ace a cutting board and knife with a stern admonition not to hurt himself.

"I'll be careful, promise." Ace rolled his eyes, and they set to it, working just as well together in the kitchen as they had been for weeks. Soon, the jambalaya was simmering on the stove, the timer was set, and Marco was staring at Thatch's special, homemade, too-hot-to-be legal hot sauce, trying to remember if he'd put it in twice. Surely not. He was nothing if not respectful of Thatch's "Hot Stuff".

Ace tugged his hand, and Marco followed him into the living room willingly. His breath caught when Ace shoved him down so he was sitting on the couch and casually draped himself half in Marco's lap. Ace flicked the TV on, and he flipped through the channels before landing on a Scooby Doo marathon. He nodded decisively, and Marco snorted, but he didn't protest. Scooby Doo was about all he could handle at the moment.

They were arguing over whether Fred ever actually did anything useful when the timer beeped. Ace leapt up at once. "I'll bring it over. No need for us both to get up." Marco shivered when Ace left, but he came back with two massive bowls of jambalaya, and Marco couldn't help but think this had been the best idea he'd had in quite some time.

Ace passed him a bowl and made himself comfortable on the couch again, immediately shoveling half the stew into his mouth. Marco smiled at the now familiar sight and took a bite, eyes widening as the mouth and throat were enveloped in fire. Ace had already set the bowl down and had made a dash for the kitchen. Ace shoved his mouth under the faucet and started rinsing his mouth frantically.

Marco followed at a more sedate pace and pulled the milk out of the fridge, taking a swig from the carton. Ace emerged from the sink soaking wet. Marco wordlessly passed over the milk, and Ace gulped it down and sputtered.

"What the hell was that?" He looked so betrayed that Marco just burst into laughter, leaning against the counter for support.

"It's- ah- Thatch's secret hot sauce. I thought I might have put it in twice, but it shouldn't have been that bad. It was only a few drops each time." Ace blinked.

"Oh."

"I take you also added some?" Marco asked. His mouth was still numb. Ace would be lucky not to have chemical burns. Marco got down a glass, filled it with milk, and handed it to Ace.

Ace winced. "Maybe a bit more than a few drops worth." He tossed back the milk and pouted.

"We really shouldn't have tried to cook anything. It's amazing that was the worst to happen really.

"Speak for yourself. My mouth may never recover." They met each other's eyes, and they were laughing uncontrollably, starting all over again anytime they made eye contact. They finally managed to collect themselves, laying on the kitchen floor. Ace moaned deliciously and clutched his side dramatically.

"That hurt. Laughter is not supposed to hurt that much, right?" The question almost set Marco off again, but he forced down the laugh. His abs were killing him.

"I think we should order a pizza and then sleep. We clearly should not still be awake."

"Agreed."

They made it through another episode and a half of Scooby Doo before the pizza came without incident. It was still only seven by that point, but Marco had been falling asleep over the pizza, and he'd had to save Ace from a face plant right into the cheese. Marco didn't bother to clean up when they finished, just dragged a willing Ace to bed.

"You're okay with sharing, right?" Marco asked, and Ace just gave him a look. "It's polite to ask, you know. Or something." They stripped mechanically down to their boxers and crawled into bed together. Marco's last thought was that it was really a shame that they were so tired, but that he'd not have given up their evening for anything.

* * *

The smell of bacon woke Ace the next morning, and he stretched luxuriously.

"Are you finally going to get up? It's been like fourteen hours, you know, and they're bound to need us at some point today." Marco's voice was laced with humor and something even warmer, and Ace smiled, opening his eyes to see Marco staring at him. "I made pancakes."

Ace sat up and stretched again, feeling each vertebra pull. Marco was already putting on a tie, and Ace smiled as he padded over to Marco and adjusted it until it met with his satisfaction. He let his fingers trail up to tangle in Marco's hair and pulled him down to kiss him good morning.

He'd mean the kiss to be brief, a greeting more than anything, but it was anything but. When Ace finally pulled away, his lips were throbbing and Marco looked mussed in the best possible way.

"Good morning," Ace said, and Marco's answering grin sent the butterflies in his stomach fluttering. Marco brushed a hand across his cheekbone, pushing his hair aside, before leaning down and kissing him.

Ace hummed and pressed closer, wanting more of Marco. If this moment never ended, that would be just fine by him, and by the way Marco's arms had wrapped around him, he wasn't the only one to think that. Eventually, Marco drew back, a regretful look on his face. Ace whined softly in protest, but they did have to get to work eventually.

"Anymore of that, and we'll be beyond late," Marco said, and Ace sighed, wondering if that would really be that bad. Marco looked as regretful as Ace felt, so that was something. Ace took a step back.

"Did you say something about pancakes?" Ace asked, and Marco chuckled, tugging him into the kitchen. The little bistro table was covered in plates of eggs, pancakes, fruit, and bacon. There was, of course, a large carafe of coffee waiting for them. Ace turned to Marco, incredulous, and Marco just shrugged and looked away.

"I've been up for a while."

"I can see that." Ace grinned up at Marco. "It looks amazing. Thank you!" He pressed a soft kiss on Marco's lips. They devoured the food in record time, but Ace was disappointed to see that they'd have to leave soon if they wanted to show up in the morning at all.

"We should go soon," Marco said, reluctance in his voice. "I think I have some clothes that will fit you, if you'd like, and you're more than welcome to use the shower."

Ace lips quirked up, and he tilted his head and licked his lips. "Will you be joining me?"

Marco's gaze darkened, and he followed suit when Ace stood up. Ace stretched, watching Marco's eyes as they traveled over him. He repressed a shudder, unwilling to show just how affected he was by Marco without even being touched. Ace leaned forward, pressing his opening mouth to Marco's throat, tongue laving.

His sharp intake of breath when Ace grazed him with his teeth reverberated through Ace in a flood of warmth. Marco's nails dug into his still bare bark, and it was Ace's turn to hiss. Marco pulled him up for a kiss, different from the others they'd shared in the past. This one was all hunger and need, the underlying tenderness nearly overwhelmed by sheer want.

Ace started on the buttons of Marco's shirt as Marco guided them to the shower the best he could while sliding his tongue into Ace's mouth in the most delicious manner. Ace hummed when his hands hit bare skin, slipping them beneath Marco's shirt to tease at his nipples.

The tie was proving impossible to remove, and Ace growled in frustration. He'd always known ties were evil. Marco didn't even wear a tie most days, and regardless of how hot they made him look, Ace was beginning to think they should only be used as blindfolds and wrist ties from now on. Marco chuckled at him, and Ace scowled as Marco loosened the tie easily.

Their phones rang simultaneously as Marco was about to take it off. Their eyes met, and they sighed in unison. They both picked up, Ace taking a few steps away so Thatch couldn't hear Marco's voice as he spoke to Izo. Ace mostly tuned out Thatch's dire description of the company's collapse in their absence, rolling his eyes.

"Thatch, I'll be in in thirty minutes. You'll do fine until then."

"Have you heard from Marco? Izo's calling him now, but it's weird for him to be in so late."

"I'm sure Marco will come in too. He probably just caught up on sleep, like me."

"Too bad you weren't 'catching up on sleep' together. He needs to get laid in a bad way, let me tell you-"

"I'm hanging up now, Thatch."

"But-"

"Bye," Ace said and glaring at the phone, as he pressed end call. It used to be so much more satisfying to slam the phone shut. Ace went to scrounge up clothes as he listened to Marco trying to calm Izo down, being all responsible and asking about whatever problem had come up. He scowled as he tossed on yesterday's clothes (no one would notice given that it was hardly the first time he'd worn the same clothes the next day). It was going to be another long day, he could already tell.


	5. Chapter 5

"I think that's everything," Marco said, looking over the final figures on his laptop. Ace groaned from where he was perched on Marco's desk and glared down at Marco, arms crossed.

"You said that almost a week ago, the day you tried to kill me by hot sauce." Marco snorted as he shut the laptop, and Ace resisted the urge to kick him.

"That was clearly only your own fault, and we were done with the development, but there were still all the details to deal with." Ace buried his head in his hands and shuddered.

"Details are evil. I can't believe I thought I could do this all by myself," Ace admitted, peaking out from his hand to see Marco's reaction. Marco froze, looked at him dumbfoundedly for a beat or two, and then forced out a chuckle.

"It's certainly a lot of work. Thanks for helping with it all. It's not really technically your job." Ace dragged his head up and smiled at Marco, eyes lingering on the slight mark on Marco's throat from their encounter in Marco's kitchen. He'd not realized he'd marked him so obviously until later that day. It was sadly fading now, but there were ways to fix that.

"What's one more week of no sleep?" Ace asked and Marco chuckled, eyes drifting shut as he rested the back of his head on the chair. Ace slid Marco's computer over and scooted so he was centered on the desk, legs outside of Marco's. "I'm glad the expo is tomorrow though. I didn't realize it was possible to miss someone so much while spending all your time together."

Marco's eyes twitched, and Ace smiled to see that he was going to play along, at least for now. "I've been thinking about kissing you during every meeting we've sat through since then, every stupid spreadsheet I've edited. It's been very distracting."

"At least I don't sprawl all over everywhere in various states of undress." Marco's eyes opened a bit, and Ace shivered at his expression. "That's just mean."

"But you know, there's an hour until the final meeting, and no one is going to come looking for us between then and now."

"Ace..." Marco's heart really wasn't in his protest, and Ace slid a bare foot up Marco's leg and thigh, grinning triumphantly when he found Marco was already half hard. He stroked his toes along Marco's length slowly, and Marco's breath huffed out.

"Moby, shut all the blinds, lock the door, and hold the calls unless urgent." Marco sat up, questioningly. All the models had been packed away this week, but Ace had gotten really bored of marketing and event planning yesterday.

"Of course, Ace. May I hold your calls as well, Marco?" The shades began rolling down automatically, both the ones to the outside and the hall. Marco eyes flicked around the room, and Ace's grin grew, knowing he'd not find the center console he was looking for. Ace pulled his foot back, not wanting to distract Marco.

"I made some changes. You took forever in the meeting with account, and I thought your office needed it's own. I was thinking about hooking him up to the main security system of the building, but that can wait." Marco gaped at Ace, and the stunned look was more than worth the hours he'd put in when he was supposed to be "off".

"Marco, your calls?" Moby asked again, and Marco started. Ace's foot returned to stroking Marco's cock, and Marco leaned into the touch before he brought a hand up to Ace's ankle and moved his foot off his lap.

"Yes, please hold them." Ace leaned back when Marco stood up and stepped closer, heart pounding. He'd not really expected Marco to take him up on his offer, but if this last week had driven him half as crazy as it had driven Ace, then there was no reason to be surprised. Marco bracketed him with his arms, both hands gripping the desk next to Ace's thighs, as he pressed them as close as they could be without Ace scooting forward.

Instead of kissing him like Ace had expected, Marco rested his forehead on Ace's shoulder and inhaled deeply. Ace's arms went around Marco, and he untucked Marco's brilliantly blue shirt, hands sliding under the silky material to caress warm skin. Marco's lips pressed against Ace's shoulder, burning through the t-shirt he'd thrown on that morning, and he kissed along Ace's shoulder to the bare skin at his neck.

When Marco sucked on the sensitive skin on the base of his neck, Ace gasped, instinctively tightening his hold on Marco, which brought them flush together. Marco's lips turned up on his neck.

"Don't be so smug." Ace huffed when Marco's only response was to chuckle. Marco reached up to brush some hair from Ace's face, and Ace found his mock annoyance melting at the tender look directed at him.

"I've been picturing your reaction when I finally got to return the favor." Marco glided his fingers across the fading mark in explanation and grinned mischievously at Ace. That expression should be illegal. "You managed to exceed all the fantasies though." Ace tried to keep his unimpressed expression, but Marco's eyes danced in a way that made him think he'd failed.

"I hate to be a mood ruiner, but they will come looking for us at some point." Ace wiggled on the desk, causing their cocks to rub against each other, Marco's moan soft. "And neither of us is really in the mood to be slow I don't think." His words were broken by light pants, and he was mildly impressed with himself for finishing the sentence.

Marco's only answer was to lean back enough to start undoing his shirt. He slowed when he noticed Ace's gaze lingering, grinning at him cockily. Ace rolled his eyes and stripped off his own shirt, glad to see he wasn't the only one staring.

Ace leaned forward, careful not to get in the way of Marco's hands, and bit Marco's lower lip lightly before kissing him. Marco's tongue immediately met his, and all Ace could taste was coffee and Marco.

He trailed his hands down Marco's stomach, touching teasingly light, as they kissed. His head was already spinning when he finally made it to the fastenings of Marco's slacks. Marco had abandoned his shirt, leaving it to hang off his shoulders, and his hands traced the muscles in Ace's back before coming to grip Ace's ass.

Marco hissed when Ace finally slid his hand into his boxers, breaking the kiss long enough for Ace to speak. "Lube and condoms." Before Marco could protest that they didn't have either, Ace rubbed his thumb over the head of Marco's dick to interrupt him and continued. "Top right drawer of the desk."

Their lips met again, and Marco fumbled the drawer open, pulling back and raising a brow at the contents. Ace shrugged and put on his best innocent expression. "What? I've all but moved in. The least you could do is give me a drawer."

"I have no objections to giving you a drawer, but it's completely full of condoms and lube."

"Do you have objections to that?" Ace slid Marco's boxers down just enough to release his already leaking cock, stroking in earnest now that he had the room. Marco tilted his head back and took a deep breath, and Ace had never felt more powerful.

"No, no objections, but it seems like a communal drawer." Marco moaned softly when Ace brought his other hand up to fondle his balls. "You- you really ought to have ah- your own drawer."

Ace hummed. "Very true, that's why my stuff is also in the one beneath the communal condom drawer." Marco caught his hands and smiled so openly Ace's heart stumbled.

"Good." He leaned in to kiss Ace chastely, then made short work of Ace's jeans, fingers bringing goosebumps to Ace's skin and they glided down his legs. Ace kicked them away and spread his legs for Marco, leaning back to brace himself with his palms against the desk. For a moment, Marco just looked, and Ace felt himself flush. He grabbed the lube and squirted some in his hand.

"I'll just prepare myself then since you like watching so much." When Marco looked predatory instead of protesting, Ace was a bit surprised, but who was he to deny Marco a show? He thrust the first finger in without taking his time. He had no idea how long before someone came along with one last thing they just _had_ to do right then, but he really just didn't know how long he could take it without feeling Marco inside him.

Ace had barely relaxed around the first finger, starting up a quick rhythm, when Marco's hands came up to spread Ace's thighs even further. The focus in his eyes as watched took in Ace's every movement, and Ace threw back his head and gave into the sensations, wanting Marco to have a better show. Ace slid the next finger in, scissoring them to spread himself even more, and Marco's breathing was increasing as he caressed Ace's trembling thighs.

The lube clicking shut made Ace look up curiously, but Marco's finger joining his two was answer enough. Marco nudged Ace's fingers to twist up, and Ace moaned, hips jerking up, when they hit his prostate.

"Marco, please. I want you." Ace withdrew his fingers and pulled Marco into a kiss, nipping at his lips. Marco's chuckle flowed through Ace, and he swept Ace's hair from his face. He quickly unwrapped two condoms, and Ace let out a strangled moan when Marco eased one on him then put the other on himself.

"Ace, you're perfect, just like this." Ace wrapped his legs around Marco pulling him closer and lubing up his cock impatiently. Marco must have been impatient too because he was pressing in slowly, and it was too slow; he needed more now, so Ace tightened his legs and thrust up his hips, driving Marco all the way in.

Marco hissed sharply and slumped forward onto Ace, lipping kissing and nipping at any bit of skin they found as he started up a fast rhythm. There was no way they were going to last long at this rate, but Ace couldn't bring himself to care. Nothing could make this any left than perfect. Marco slid his hands back to Ace's ass and tilted his hips slightly, and Ace saw stars.

He dug his nails into Marco's back, relishing in the thought that he'd leave marks, and Marco brought a hand up to stroke Ace's cock. It wasn't long before Ace felt his orgasam building, and he tightened his muscles around Marco, who sucked in a breath, speeding up his hand, and Ace came with Marco's name on his lips.

They breathed together for a moment, basking in each other. Eventually, Marco sighed, pulled out, and slipped the condoms off one by one, tying them to keep the mess to a minimum. He threw them out, and then they put each other together, gathering their clothes. Ace fussing longer than necessary with Marco's hair to enjoy the silky texture.

Looking at the clock, Ace saw they still had five minutes before they had to head over to the conference room. He pushed Marco into the chair and crawled into his lap, resting his head in the crook of Marco's neck. Marco laughed softly, but he pulled Ace closer, and Ace felt his lips press to his hair.

"I'd say I would have never pegged you for a cuddler, but now that I think about it, didn't you end up in my lap over a month ago?" Marco said, and Ace smacked him half-heartedly.

"You're comfy, what can I say? You're more than welcome to sit in mine anytime you'd like." Ace smiled against Marco's neck and felt the answering laugh more than heard it.

"I'll take you up on that maybe." They sat like that for the full five minutes, and Ace was almost asleep when Marco sighed and poked him.

"Time to go," Marco said, poking him again when Ace just whined. "We're done after this last meeting."

"You know, I'm pretty sure you said that before." Dragging himself up ranked up there on one of the hardest things he's ever done.

"But this time I mean it. Probably."

* * *

The day of the expo dawned bright and clear. Marco knew because Ace had been right to doubt that they'd get to leave, and they'd eventually fallen asleep entwined together on the couch again for a couple hours. Marco had woken before dawn despite being so sleep deprived, too hyped up to sleep. He watched Ace slumber peacefully on, smiling at Ace's soft snores.

When the sun had finally risen, Marco nudged Ace awake. Guilt shot through him when Ace didn't even protest, just sighed and blink up at him blearily. They'd gotten him way too used to not sleeping this last month, and that really needed to change now that their crisis would be over today.

"What time is it?" Ace asked, sitting up, and Marco had to force down an instinctive protest at the loss of Ace's warmth from his side. It was a bit too early to declare that they should always be touching in some manner or another.

Marco frowned and sat up as Ace stretched. He had no idea what Ace would want after last night, no idea if it was just a one time thing. Though there was a whole drawer full of various flavors of lube that argued otherwise since Marco was certain Ace wouldn't be so cruel as to set something like that up, and then use it to sleep with others.

Still, he was already in a bit of disbelief about the fact that Ace wanted him just as much as he wanted Ace. He'd just have to hope that Ace stuck around because he was rapidly becoming convinced that he his feelings for Ace were anything but weak or temporary.

"We should build a fort tomorrow." Ace paused mid-stretch to grin at Marco's suggestion. "Or whenever we're in next.

"Sure! We definitely have enough blankets. Have I mentioned how much I love that there are ridiculous amounts of blankets in here for an office?"

"What? It's always good to be prepared."

"You're prepared to build a nest, not to do work."

"Well, then that's what we'll do." A happy chirp rang through the room.

"I am sorry to interupt, but your coffee is done. Traffic is heavy today, and if you wish to get ready before your presentation, you should start in five minutes. Sanji messaged to say that he's swinging by with breakfast because, quote, 'you shitty programmers' don't know how to take care of yourselves."

Ace snickered at the electronic voice's prim use of profanity. He must have altered the main code, so Moby could even say that. Marco a brow, but the fluttering in his stomach at Ace's unrepentant grin meant he'd lost this one. Marco rolled his eyes, but smiled, following suit as Ace levered himself off of the sofa.

"Nervous?" Marco found himself asking, and Ace cast him a glance over his shoulder that had Marco wishing they had more time before they had to go.

"Never."

* * *

Everything had all been set up for them, so Ace did a quick walk through of all of their demo houses when they got there, but it was more to double check than anything. Marco would be the one that presented their new tech, so he felt a bit useless. Luckily, it wasn't long before Shichibukai was going to present, and Ace was definitely not going to miss that.

The head of each company would do a short presentation on what they'd brought, and then the press and public would be allowed to wander through the displays the companies had out together.

Ace grinned at their tiny little homes and told Moby to fix the lighting. Theirs was a bit more interactive than usual, and he was sure the crowd was just going to love Moby. Haruta jumped out from behind a fake wall, and Ace was far too tired to prevent his screech.

She giggled and took his hand. "C'mon Ace, it's about to start!" SHe dragged him out of their display area, which was tented off so no one could see and into the presentation room. There were easily a thousand people in the audience, and the room buzzed with speculation and excitement. On the other side of the audience, Ace could see Teach smirking confidently, and he smiled. He'd learn better soon enough.

They sat down next to Thatch and Izo, and the lights went down almost at once. There were several companies before them, and while Ace thought some of them had some pretty cool ideas, he all but vibrated as he waited for some stranger to pass off his work as their own. He couldn't wait for Marco to show them up.

It was a good thing Whitebeard was last, just after Shichibukai, in fact. Ace was sure they'd managed to swing a practical application of his processor, but it was sure to be something standard with the time they had had. No matter how he told himself, the butterflies in his stomach refused to listen, and Ace just grew antsier as company after company presented.

Finally, it was time, and an extremely tall man in a pink (pink!) suit came up on stage.

"That's Doflamingo," Izo whispered to him. "They don't really have a head, but he's the public figure of the company." Ace nodded and watched as Doflamingo waited until the crowd died down.

"Let's cut to the chase, shall we? We all want to go play with the new toys, after all." Doflamingo laughed as he all but tore the fabric off of the table they'd wheeled into the center of the stage. On it lay a collection of tablets and ultrabook, and Ace fought the desire to roll his eyes. That was really the best they could do? Marco had told them they'd like to use his processors in their computers as well, but they weren't going to waste their spotlight here on something so mundane.

"Presenting our newest line of tablets and ultrabooks. They feature our brand new processor, Infinite Night. You've never known speed like this, people. I guarantee it." With that rather minimalistic speech, he left the stage, and people began muttering again as the table was rolled out once more. It was unusual not to take questions afterward, and the crowd buzzed with speculation.

Ace snorted. That was reason enough most likely. Nothing better to get people to talk than to make something seem secretive. The crowd quieted down as Marco walked to the stage, and Ace couldn't help but think it was maybe a shame that they were all so casual at work because Marco looked damn good in a suit. Of course, stripping him out of it later might be a pain, but it might be worth the trouble.

"We have a little something different, but we hope you'll like it as much as we do." Marco said adjusting Moby's console on the podium, and he gestured for the video showing Moby in action to begin. It had been filmed only four days ago, and everyone in it was from their company. It flashed through them using the numerous devices Ace had rigged to work with it, and the stunned silence when the movie ended was promising.

"Moby, hit the lights please." The happy chip sounded, and the lights on stage went back to normal, and the audiences gasped. Marco had been right. All the effort of talking the building manager into letting Ace mess with his electronics had been worth it.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Marco?" Marco smiled at the audience.

"Well, Moby, I think these people in the audience might have some questions for you." The room erupted with noise, and Ace had to laugh.

"I'd be happy to answer if I am able."

"Call a random seat number then, since we have so many questions." Moby chirped again.

"223?" The room quietened as everyone turned to stare at a seat mid way in the room.

"Moby, what all can you do?"

"Right now, I only have access to lights. I am very good at making coffee though, when I have a coffee maker." The crowd laughed, and Ace craned his neck so he could see Teach. The look of utter horror on his face was delicious.

"We have a variety of appliances and such set up in the display room. We're up to fifteen, I think, but we've only begun to tap the possibilities. A couple more questions, I think, before we finish."

The rest of the presentation went smoothly, and it wasn't long before the public descended on the various displays. Izo was vibrating with happiness as the press descend on him in lieu of Marco. They'd definitely stolen the show, and Ace went backstage to find Marco to congratulate him and escape the crowd.

He was about to round a corner when he heard Teach's distinctive drawl. Ace paused, wondering if he should turn back, but Doflamingo's voice had him stopping to listen in.

"I thought all they had planned was a processor. Do you realize how lame we look right now? Do you know whose fault that is?"

"I swear, that was all that was planned when I left. It should have been impossible for them to have completely designed such a thing."

"You're very right. It should be impossible. So, tell me Teach, what do you suppose that says about your loyalty?"

"What exactly are you implying?"

"I thought it was pretty clear, myself. You're fired, and I hope for your sake that you _were _loyal to Whitebeard all this time because if they won't take you back, you're never going to have a job in the tech business ever again. I guarantee it." Ace backed away from the corner soundlessly. As much as he'd like to stay and listen to Teach's pathetic pleas, he'd really rather not be discovered by either.

He walked down the hallway quickly, heading for the light box. Marco would find him there, and he could take out their chip while he was here.

* * *

Marco didn't find him at the light box since he was already there waiting for Ace. Ace smiled and he decided that pulling on the tie for a kiss wasn't overdone at all. Marco certainly didn't seem to mind if his response was anything to go by. Ace pulled back and grinned at him in a way that he'd learned made Marco's eyes lose focus.

Ace turned to the light box to extract the chip, shutting down the stages lights first. He spared a brief thought to hope that no one was cleaning it just yet, though the audience lights were still on, so if there were, they'd probably be okay.

"You'll never guess what I overheard on my way to find you." Ace glanced back over his shoulder to find Marco watching him intently, but when Ace turned, he raised a brow in question. "Doflamingo firing Teach with the promise that he'd never work in tech again." Ace smiled as he turned back to the box, pulling out his multipurpose tool to extract the chip.

"Just what he deserves." Ace pulled out the chip and slipped it and his tool back into his pocket, turning back to face Marco. He was a bit surprised at the serious look in Marco's eyes.

"I just wanted to thank you for helping me keep from having to cut anyone." Marco grinned. "From what Izo just texted me, I think we'll be having to hire instead."

"That's great!" Ace said, but Marco continued before he could go on.

"I know you didn't want to be here, and what they did to you wasn't right. If you want, I'll help you branch off again. I know you-" Ace covered Marco's mouth with one hand and laughed at the indignant expression Marco gave him.

"I appreciate the thought, but no. I'm happy where I am. I thought I would lose my freedom by joining a company, and with most, I probably would have. But I feel freer to work on whatever with Whitebeard than I ever did before." Marco licked Ace's hand and not in a good way (was there a good way?). "Ugh, gross. Way to ruin a moment."

Marco laughed and pulled Ace into a hug. "I'm glad," he whispered into Ace's hair. "In that case, how do you feel about taking over the R&amp;D department? It's clearly a bit too much to handle for me to take care both that and software development."

Ace's eyes widened, and he was glad Marco couldn't see them. Marco was entrusting him with helping protect his family, and that was breathtaking. When he could manage a casual voice, he responded. "Okay, I guess. Do I have to have my own office?"

"Probably. But you're more than welcome to come build forts with me anytime." Marco tightened his hold briefly before releasing Ace with a sigh. "Now, come on. There's going to be a party tonight."

* * *

"Want to get some air?" Ace said, and Marco looked around at the crowded bar, all of their friends and family getting progressively rowdier, and nodded quickly. They'd been there for hours already on top of the expo lasting all day, and some quiet would be appreciated. Ace grabbed his hand and entwined his fingers with Marco's, smiling back at him as he tugged him to a door Marco had never been out before. He raised a brow at the employees only sign, but when Ace paid it no mind, he put it out of his mind.

The door opened into a tiny courtyard, the whole thing surrounded by worn brick wall, the only other entrance besides the one they'd come through a crooked gate, badly in need of a coat of paint. There was only a narrow path clear to the gate, the remainder of the space being taken up by flourishing pots of herbs. A bench had been squeezed on the path, probably for employees to use for break, and Marco found himself hoping the pub had another way to get deliveries through.

They walked to the bench hand in hand, and Ace flopped down, tugging Marco to join him so that there was no space between them. The air was a bit chilly, but Marco couldn't bring himself to mind since it was the perfect excuse lay an arm over Ace's shoulders. Ace leaned back into him, and Marco smiled softly to himself. To think that just a few short weeks ago, Ace had been spitting acid at him every time he was forced to be in Marco's presence.

"I can't believe it is actually over," Ace said, his words measured and almost too soft for Marco to hear. His tone turned sly. "For real, this time." Marco brushed off the insinuation.

"I know. It's always so strange when you go from frantic activity to a full stop so abruptly. It's jarring no matter how many projects like this I do." Ace hummed and snuggled back, resting his head on Marco's shoulder. "We're not allowed back in the office for at least three days, by the way. Izo's orders."

"And here I thought you were the boss." Ace rose enough to grin up at him, his teasing tone forcing Marco to repress a shiver.

Marco chuckled. "If you've learned anything this last month, you ought to know that's true in name only." A comfortable silence hung over them, and Marco finally let the tension that had been building over the last weeks drain away. His company was safe, his family was safe, and Ace was here pressed up against him like it was the most natural thing in the world. The moonlight was bright enough to see Ace's content smile, and Marco found himself mirroring the expression.

Eventually, Ace sighed. "Well, it's about time to head home, don't you think?" Marco's heart dropped like a stone, and he froze. "We both need some rest. I can't remember the last time I got more than four hours of sleep in a row, and I know you've been even worse." Ace stood up, making Marco shiver at the absence of his warmth, and stretched, yawning loudly. Marco tried to school his expression, but he saw Ace's confusion when he turned back. He eyes flicked over Marco a few times, the barest hint of a frown on his face, before he suddenly softened and smiled.

He grabbed Marco's hand and tugged. "C'mon, I ought to say goodbye to Sabo and Luffy, or they'll be annoyed." Marco blinked, and Ace laughed at him. "I'm honestly probably going to fall asleep on you tonight, but that doesn't mean all of our three days have to be wasted." He paused, his smile losing a bit of its confidence. "I mean, unless, you'd rather not..."

Marco stood up so quickly he almost stumbled on his feet- apparently, the lack of sleep was really getting to him too- and pulled Ace into a tight embrace. After a moment, he sighed and pulled away reluctantly, but he caught Ace's hand and gave it a squeeze, interlocking their fingers.

"There's nothing I'd like more."


End file.
